Surpise Time!

Well, I figure it's probably time for another post :)

I am writing from the beautiful ...yet freezing...northwoods of Wisconsin! I was blessed to have someone offer to fly me home, so that i could be with my family for Christmas! That was such a fun surprise for me to have that offered, and then I decided it would be a fun surprise for the fam, also! So, on Christmas Eve, after driving in tons of icy road conditions (who's ever heard of a towing ban?? i hadn't before then!) i made it safely and surprised my family. It was wonderful, and we have had a great time catching up and hanging out, and of course lots of playing in the snow. (i think i'm frozen to the core....but i think i may have just become a wimp ;)). I've been here in the states about a week now, and start my 2 days of travel back to honduras tomorrow. It's been wonderful!

Things at the ranch and in the ministry are going well. I have adjusted back to my old job, as relief parent, and ranch nurse. This quarter i will also be taking up being Highschool P.E. teacher. I did this last year for a semester, and loved it...so the principle asked if i would be willing to teach it again for a quarter...of course i would!

My 4 boys that i had for awhile are doing very well in their new homes...thriving. I miss them, as expected, but it is a good thing for everyone involved. They will always have a piece of my heart though!

We had highschool graduation for two of the kids this past November. Nilsy and Oscar both graduated, and now will be moving on to "college life." They are both great young adults, and love the Lord. Oscar also chose to be baptized in mid-Nov and that was just an awesome thing, also.

I feel like the past 2 years has gone incredibly fast, overall, and now am getting the question repeatedly: What's next??Well, now that most the people i live and work with know, i am going to answer the question on here, so that you can all be informed, praying, and excited too. My contract is up with WGO mid-march, and so I've made the decision that i will not be staying with the ministry there in teguz...at least for now :)
I will be going to Language School to study spanish (of course) for the next 3-4 months to start out with, starting in April. My goal is to be able to have spanish "under my belt" so that i can use it in the future, in jobs and ministry. I absolutely love speakign the spanish language, and have caught on relatively quickly, so want to take advantage of this time when i am not commited to much, to become a little bit more bi-lingual. The Language School is located about 7 hours north of where i live now...it is located in a city called La Ceiba, Honduras. It is a city right on the coast of honduras, and just a beautiful place to study! I will be living with a host family (all spanish speakers), and be taking classes with about 4 other students or less. I am very excited about this, and would covet your prayers for my move to this new (tho safer) city.

It will be extremely hard to say goodbye to everyone that i am close to at the ranch....and it is something i cannot think about to much, or i get pretty bummed. I've been cherishing each and every moment...almost becoming extremely sentimental :) Time is precious and i am loving every moment these days.

After language school i have no idea where i will be going or what God has for me. :) It's part of the wild adventure called life!

p.s. i will try to add pics to this post once i'm back in honduras, on my computer.

Vacation

I was delighted to be able to go on vacation to Roatan with 9 other missionaries here on the ranch. Roatan is a very popular "touristy" island...a 15 minute plane ride off the coast of mainland honduras. Typically it is not a very cheap place to go, but us living in honduras, were able to find some sweet deals, and it worked out well for us all!! Here are a few pics:

just chillin' one night!

beautiful sunsets most nights!

view of the island from the plane

view of some reefs from the plane

all the girls one night before dinner
l-r: elli, me, shelly, hannah, abby, kelly, jaylene

on a water taxi heading to West Bend

beautiful sea

on the plane...sad to go home...at least i was!!

Changes...all the time :)

Good thing God is good all the time, too :) It seems like things are constantly changing around here...but that is a part of life, and i've learned not to let change rock my boat!

First of all...before i share the big news...NOW DON'T GO SCROLL DOWN JUST TO SEE!....i was able to take my 3 days off this month, and participate in a medical brigade. I've done a few of these before, but have been wanting to do one again as i really enjoy doing that type of outreach. I was able to stay with my friends, the Carrions, and have peaceful nights sleep after doing brigades!
I worked construction both days, laying 4 cement floors, and meeting some fun new friends. Friday night after it was all over, me and a bunch of translators went out for dinner which was also fun!

Okay...now the big news :) The day i got back from my days off, my boss almost immediately called me into his office for a meeting to update me on things that had happened while i was gone. I didn't know what to think, as this is not a normal custom. Well....so happens that throughout that week, the leadership had realized that we needed to place my boys in more "permanent" homes, rather than keep on waiting for house parents to come. It is what is best for everyone involved. So my 3 older ones will be going in one house, and my baby Darwin, will be moving in with my boss and his family.

Now, ever since i moved into the role of being full-time house mom to the boys, my old position (relief parent) had to be filled by teachers. This put extra stress on them as they would have to get up from a night in the house, and go teach all day etc.. They've filled in with awesome servant attitudes and i give the teachers props for the extra work it's taken....

...But now i am back to doing my old job so it takes a bit of the load off of them!!! :) I started yesterday with my old job...and will be in the house again tonight, also. It feels good to be back in my old job...but definitely don't get me wrong....i do miss the kiddos!

So there ya go....changes :)

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! i am able to take a 6 day vacation here pretty soon, which will be a fun break.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Sara

Sprinkler Fun!!!

The boys and I had fun one Saturday morning, playing in the sprinkler! Here are some pics of them...Enmanuel was inside watching tv, that is why he is not pictured :)

We decided to wash hair while we were at it :)

it's a muddy mess out there!

Our road is ...impassable. Or at least it was yesterday. None of us could go to church because of it. Crazy crazy. It's rainy season here, and normally we have to worry about the river that we have to cross getting to high with the rain...but this season it seems the river is not the most of our problems at all...it's the mud!

To get a little taste of how the mud effects the drivers etc....read my friend Kelly's blog...she's a teacher here on the ranch. kellyhonduras.blogspot.com

Today i was reading a book inside while darwin (my 2yr old cutie) was playing out in the porch. And after a few minutes of complete silence i decided to check on him to see what he was doing (cuz ya kknow...silence is almost never good :)) and he had fallen asleep in the hammock with his butt stickin' straight up in the air! It was adorable....see the pic for yourself :)



Have a good monday,
sara

Random Pics!

Playing with their car track

Junnior!

Crisitian! (wasn't very happy at the time i took the pic :))

Darwin!

Me and Junnior (notice his new favorite hair-style...mohawk it up!)

A post of Darwin!

I found darwin out on the porch enjoying his snack in his car seat :)

Oscar used to live in the house with Darwin

Darwin thinks putting the boys' underwear on his head is the COOLEST!

...he also thinks these "lentes" are sooo happenin'

...but then he gets hurt and makes hilarious faces like this!!! :)

HE IS A JOY!!!!

Happy Birthday Junnior!!!

We celebrated Junnior's birthday on the 16th, and had a blast!

Now we have TWO 6 year olds in the house trying to rule the roost :)

Opening presents with colored hair

mmmmm grilled cheese and tomato soup by request

Blowing out TRICK candles :) just hilarious!

happy birthday, Junnior!

haircuts anyone??

Well, the boys have needed haircuts...once again! Man, boys hair grows fast!!!! Well...instead of just asking someone else who knows how to cut hair (there's a couple people who know how), I decided it was time i just do it myself :) So i borrowed someone's clippers, and started experimenting!
All the boys now have cut hair and look all trimmed up! I think darwin's turned out the best...real short. And the others are pretty good for my first time...could use improvment...but hey...i'm a beginner! :) They look pretty darn cute i think :)

Anyways...that was fun :)

It's been an extremely busy week. Almost every day all morning in the clinic, and then in the house with the boys for the afternoon. Just lots going on it seems!

Shoot me an email...

Sara

No Calamine today!

Hahaha...Today is one of the first days that I haven't had Calamine lotion all over my hands from putting it on one of my 4 boys! haha...Darwin finally seems to be getting over his 'pox.

It's been a long time since we've had "full health" in our home. Almost a month i think. From Chicken pox...to throwing up...to anything else you want to think of.....we've had it it seems. I was in bed all day yesterday with something...and it takes alot for me to actually stay in bed and just "Be sick," so i hated it. But today am trying to feel better....and do a little bit...just am weak now ya know....but i missed the kids yesterday....hearing them outside my door and not being able to get up and be with them was harder than i would've thought!!!

Yay! It's Sunday tomorrow. I love my church. Absolutely love it. I've started attending "home groups" on Wednesday nights, and it is just Great!!!! Praise the Lord for this unique gift He's given to us.

Email me! sarainhonduras@gmail.com

some pics :)

Cristian being an indian for Honduran Independence Day

"The Invasion of the Chicken Pox!" Junnior was one of 9 kids on the ranch (so far!) who got the chicken pox! (3 of them being mine :))

Enmanuel and his typical faces

Us at the mall...me gettin' darwin a little car to ride around in...whoever invented those...is simply awesome!

Junnior on the playground

Darwin checkin' up on Junnior who was so sick with the Chicken Pox, but wanted to get some fresh air, so was relaxing on the play ground!

The boys after having a refreshing dip in the pond :)

My little "chinito" after church one night...he had his face painted in the mall before church :)

Pulling Teeth and Chicken Pox!

This week has me once again looking back saying...where does the time go?!

Darwin, my 2 year old baby, came to the ministry with rotten teeth. We were told when he came that we would just have to wait until they fell out naturally. Well, recently 2 of them had been really causing him tons of pain. So we decided to take him to the medical brigade and get his teeth pulled. It was one of the hardest things i've had to do as a "mother" was to watch him in so much pain....we had 3 of us holding him down and then the dentist pulling out the two front teeth. He's gonna be singing "all i want for christmas, my birthday, or any holiday...is my 2 front teeth" for a long time!!!! He is doing great now, and no longer screaming in pain at meal times...praise God :)

Last night Junnior started feeling feverish and just had the "sick look." Well, ends up this morning he comes out of bed with little red dots all over his body.....we welcome the chicken pox to House of Abraham. haha. Poor little guy...he's so itchy and mellow. But of course still looks cute even with the 'pox all over :) He's enjoying a bath right now!

Independence day for Honduras is on Monday. We were all going to go in to celebrate with many many people in the city...but now i will be stayin ghome with Junnior and Darwin and Brian will take Christian and Enmanuel into the city to enjoy the festivities.

Enjoy your Sunday!

sara

think about these lyrics...

This is a song that i used to listen to alot, and have just started to listen to it again recently...and i really like the lyrics and am going to put in bold some lines i'd really like all of you to ponder on!

John Reuben
Do Not lyrics

Do not tell me what i can and cannot do when i rock
Do not tell me what i can and cannot do when i rock

To each his own correctin don't select my flavor
While see them in the back critiquin' my behavior now
Tryin' to take creation and me to fit his mold
He yelled out sellout but maybe he wasn't told
So let me tell this shallow mind why we do what we do
I create for the Creator but not to impress you ok
I'll challenge your thinkin' but not to test you
You might not like me, I'll still say "God bless you"
And this trust issue, it's all love n' respect
And honestly bro I don't think that 's too much to expect
But too many times your shallow mind will keep you caught
You can't escape your thinkin' all you've ever been taught
Is that you walk this way
You talk this way
You front this way
You pose this way
You react this way
Na, na that ain't me
I got to be who God created me to be

Do not tell me what I can and cannot do when I rock

Why is it as humans we cling on to only what we know
Never expanding and stepping out our comfort zone (uhhh)
We walk alone and then roam in ignorance
They turn back around and use it as a defense
For shallowness this seems to be a concern
Cuz not knowin' is an excuse for those who willin' to learn

Alright I need all people in the front to the back,
The back to the front, Lets get down, we gon do it like this

(chorus)
Do not tell me what I can and cannot do when I rock
Original material my crew nonstop
We're keepin' it fly we'll turn it out
Ya'll feelin' some of that? no doubt!

Do not stereotype the individual
Cuz what you hear in your stereo is not the typical
Stereoypes get broken now when I'm provokin'
New levels of thought so leave the shallow minds open
Cats approachin' me without no lack or no clue
I understand though bro, see someone's been training you
To think like you think and act like you do
Its' getting old not like it should have ever been new
But as long as shallowness exists I shall assist
To rip apart the whole structure and expose the nucleus
Shallowness exists I shall persist to rip
Apart the whole structure and expose it for what it is

Lack of understanding lack of communication
Lack of a desire for expanding education
Lack of inspiration lack of innovation
The fact you can't respect another mans creation
Lack of motiviation lack of restoration
The fact we lack unity and enjoy separation
Lack of destination because you know what I feel
I feel that humans lack the ability to be real

I've just been on this kick lately that we as humans need to start being REAL....actually i've been on this kick for awhile. We cannot act certain ways just because we want to please others. Think about it...why truly do u act the way you do? Hopefully to glorify God...and to make Him proud. Hopefully not just because others tell you to act that way, or to do what you do.

I think there are too many Christians (including myself at times i'm sure, but I pray that God help me not to be one of these) really judge others to much...espessially fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to quit judging others and TALK AND BE REAL!!!!

think about it...leave ur comments.

Working Mother...

I have really felt like a working single mother lately...which is what i am. You see, here at the ranch, not only do i mother these 4 little precious ones, but also am Ranch Nurse. As i mentioned in the post below, one of the kids here on the ranch broke her arm. Well, yesterday was her follow-up appointment...so i was in the city all day with her, and with another house-mom and girl who needed a check up also. If you think all day sounds funny for just check-ups...it is if you are in the USA, but in Honduras, that is completely normal. It was a lonnnng day, but good news is that the doctor thinks her arm is looking just fine :)

When i got home, i had just missed my boys so much (the day before i was also in the city because i had to do grocery shopping). And it was just so good to be with them all together in the house...we didn't even want to go outside and play...we just enjoyed each others company. Junnior and Cristian helped me to make a Cherry Chocolate Cobbler for tonight, and Enmanuel helped me cook a scrumptious hot-dog dinner :)

God blessed me with a wonderful "chat" conversation with a dear friend of mine last night also, which was much needed and just great to talk with her, since we don't get to talk often!!

This week is another week that is just flying by. Today also, i have to do some work in the clinic, but after i am done, i should be done with major clinic work for awhile....or at least until another emergency :) hehe.. I do enjoy being nurse though, it has been fun and i've learned alot.

Brian comes down today! He is going to be helping me with the boys in teh house. We will be working as a team raising the boys until they get permanent house parents. Hopefully i will post a pic of all of us soon! I'm praising God so much for the help and blessing i know he is going to be to the kids and i! Praise God with me....the boys get a "father figure!" and i get some sanity :)

Much love,
Sara

hospital stay and a fast week!

Well this week absolutely FLEW by! I don't even know where all the time went. Here's a quick peak...

**On Tuesday, since I am the nurse here, I was called around 3:15pm to help splint a badly broken arm of one of our 6 year old girls. She broke her arm doing a cartwheel and landing wrongly in P.E. at school.
We took her in as her arm was BENT in between her wrist and elbow....NOT SUPPOSED TO BEND THERE :) We ended up being in the ER four about 4 hours, all the while finding out she was going to need surgery, so they were prepping her for that and we were figuring out if she had eaten etc...
Well, then a man comes in and tells us we are going to need to spend the night in the hospital, not because of medical reasons, no, but because the CASHIER will not be there when she gets out of surgery at 9:30pm. UGH! Soo my boss, katherine and I camped out for the night in the medical center...long night sleepin' on the floor :) But i was so thankful to be able to be there for her, and help her through everything. She sure was a trooper! The doctor kept coming in before her surgery and saying how wierd it was she was not crying cuz of how bad the break was! Strong, strong girl. Two teachers stayed with my boys...I thank God for their willingness to help.

**Wednesday we got back here around 11am from the hospital. I then had the rest of the day and night off, which was much needed as i was compltely exhausted from the night before in the hospital!! So it was fun to hang out with some teachers and older kids around the ranch.

**Now it's Sunday, and we are chillin' out watching Aladdin and then will be leaving early this afternoon to do some shopping before church. We get to buy a carseat for Darwin, belts for all the boys, and maybe some groceries...and then my favorite part of the week..CCI :)

alright...leave comments!

Sara

a post of pictures :)

A few pics to brighten your day :)


Junnior!! (yes, we just found out this year, that this is truly how you spell his name..i think it's cute!)

Cristian in pre-school playing dress-up as an....m&m/lion?? :)

darwin LOVES bathtime!! (but sometimes he gets mad at his toys cuz they get a little too close and he yells at them to move! ha!)

My lil' brother and i...

enmanuel being his "cool" self ready to play some ball

a common scene...me walking with the boys...with an older kid of the ranch helping :) this is me with junnior and darwin with cristian behind...don't know where enmanuel is!

Me missing my long hair :) and remembering that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength :)

funny day!

haha so yesterday was my shopping day...and it turned out to just be a day filled with laughter. I looove laughing! (who doesn't?! :)). But i was just so thankful for all the laughter, adventures and surprises! ha! Also at the end of our time in the city i ran into a honduran friend of mine that i don't get to see too often, so that was a fun surprise also!

Then, to top it all off, there is a guy coming down to help me with the kids! So now we will be double-teaming yay!! He will be flying in September fourth. I'm sooo excited for the kids to get to have a father-figure again, and for me to have some help! Pray for a good adjustment for him.

The kids are doing well. Off to school as always with darwin here with me.

k tenga un buen dia!

bendiciones,
sara

¡Dios es Fiel!

Yesterday was a tough day. Well, busy and tough! I was in the clinic most of the morning and afternoon...organizing, inventorying, checking exp. dates, and delivering some meds. Whew...it was crazy! Then when the boys got home from school they all decided that fighting and being absolutely wild was going to be a "good" idea for the rest of the day! Ahhh! Thankfully the rain held off so we could go outside to try and wear some energy off for about an hour and a half :) Then got homework done, dinner ate, books read, prayers said, and off to bed!!! (i think it didn't help i was working all day, and so had little energy left when the kids got home!)

It DOWNPOURED like crazy last night. I just love nights like that, when you cannot hear anything but the pounding rain on the tin roof...just so peaceful. It's like the Lord saying...look...I AM right here..I AM. I AM powerful. I AM wiping away every tear, and washing away every frustration from the day before!!

Today I have no assistant...and it was only me and Darwin (the 2 yr old) for the morning cuz the others all go to school. Darwin was an absolute doll this morning! Cute as a button walking around the house "talking" on his fake cell phone, and the "conversation" must have been pretty funny the way he was laughing :) I cleaned, cooked, did laundry and wrote out the shopping list for tomorrow this mornin'...felt like a true stay at home house mom :)

The Lord truly is faithful. Just when i feel like i really need a break...it seems like it comes. Random offers from people to babysit are just such a blessing! I do love the kids, i love them tons...and am thankful for the breaks so that i can continue to have energy to mother them!

My friend Danie just moved here from teh states to teach at Academia Pinares! I'm sooo excited! It is SUCH an answer to prayer that she has moved down here. A breath of fresh air!!!

Much love to you all....leave comments :)

Sara

days off and the smell of roasting coffee

I never knew that coffee smelt like it was absolutely burning when you roasted it!!! eww! Not really a fan of the smell, but it is actually growing on me. It's a new smell here on the ranch, since we are now doing the whole coffee process from growing to roasting!

It's my 3 days off again! Woohoo! It's been so nice to relax, take a bath, read, browse people's blogs, and will be nice to spend time with friends also!!!

Leave Comments!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome a new BELIEVER to the family of God!

Wow...tonight was an interesting night. One of the boys was disobedient, and so he had time out, and then was disobedient during time-out, so had to go to bed early. While i was dealing with that boy in a different room, the four year old thought it was opportune time to throw his food (noodles with spaghetti sauce/mozz. cheese/broccoli etc) all over the kitchen/living room on the walls and everything. Well needless to say, he got a time-out, and also went to bed early. So i was left with the 5 year old (junnior) and the 2 year old. So, while the 2 year old ran around or read his own books, junnior and i did our nightly bed-time story reading of a kids story bible. It so happened to be the stories (we read 2) about Christ's crucifixion. Junnior was very into it (which normally when the other boys are there he is very distracted to say the least), and kept asking questions. Afterwards, i told him the choice we have to make, and how cool it is that we have Jesus to save us, and that we have the choice between heaven and hell. Well, it really hit him. He started crying saying he didn't want to go to hell, and wanted to go to heaven. We continued to talk, and i felt like he really understood the seriousness of this and asked if he wanted to pray and thank God for sending Jesus to take the punishment for our sins etc.. and he did. SO, there, in the living room with the other two punished boys crying in the background and the 2 year old running around, i felt the biggest peace as Junnior prayed and thanked God for sending Jesus to take our punishment. Who knows if this is the first time that Junnior has done this (he may have with other house parents that i am unaware of), but with his sincerity and understanding this time, it was just an amazing moment to talk spiritual things with him, and to see his sensitivity to it. And a time to rejoice in his choice to join the family of God!

I'm rejoicing that Junnior has made this choice, and that he seems to really understand the seriousness of it!!

Thank you, Jesus.

Join me in welcoming Junnior to the family of God!

"i love you mom"

the boys are calling me mom now..... :)


i hear "i love you mom" all the time...


i love them too.

Perspective Change....

Today i went shopping with 4 other female missionaries here on the ranch. We went into one store (like a walmart), and we were all shopping around. I started laughing at myself as almost everything i looked at, i looked at from a different perspective than i used to. It was like this... "hmm...i sure could use more containers for leftovers...." or "the boys could use this...." or things like that. What made me laugh the most was what i left the store with: 3 new little cute water bottles for the boys to bring juice to school in for snack time, and pull-ups for nighttime. Ha! I felt very excited and satisfied about my purchases, too.....

.....what a change of perspective.....from me to we to them......

thanks, God.

What's been going on lately??

Well, i haven't posted lately cuz honestly, life has been difficult and by the time i get a chance for myself, i don't feel like blogging :) Why has it been difficult?? Well.....it's just hard to be a single mom of four little ones!

Yesterday and last night i was able to take 24 hours off, and so that was nice. It was even better because i was able to spend some quality time with some of the older kids on the ranch...who i've missed being able to hang out with. Also because all the singles on the ranch here had what we call "family night." It is where we all gathered in one of the single housing and have a big family dinner. It was a great time of fellowship...and guitar hero :)

I will also say there was a frusterating point yesterday and i will not go in to it any more than this: i hate rumors, and everything that can go along with them. We as Christians need to act as God would have us act....if we have concern for each other...confront each other...don't go "expressing your concern" to others....espessially if you were asked not to spread rumors about certain things.

Today, i'm back with the kids. It's been GORGEOUS weather out lately, and so we spent about an hour outside playing in the sun today, until everyone got to hot! It was absolutely wonderful!

Then, i've decided to move the 4 year old into a room of his own, so that he won't keep the other boys up so much, as he's been having a very hard time obeying and going to bed well. He was pretty excited to move, so all of us together worked to move all his stuff into his new room :)
It will be interesting to see how it works out.

Also today i wanted to have all the boys try on all the pants/shorts that they owned so i could see how many jeans they had for school (they wear uniforms and jeans are part of them but jeans have to be nice...with no holes). So we did that for a long time....getting rid of the high-waters, and separating "play-clothes" and "school/church clothes." The boys enjoyed it, too...seeing what they had and realizing they were GROWING!!! :)

I would love to hear from all of you. I have heard it's hard to leave comments on here...that's wierd. Hit me up on my e-mail then.... sarainhonduras.blogspot.com

Much Love,
Sara

Some pics of my kids :)

Pictures of the kiddos....leave comments!!!! :)

darwin loves to goof around at dinner time :)

i would decide to take pictures at dinner time on tuna casserole night wouldn't i?? :)

Here is the photo shoot.....trying to get a good shot right before bed time!

can we say cheesy smiles??? :)

this shows their personalities pretty well!!!


yay!! a great one!

L-R: Cristian (4), Junior (5), Darwin (2), Enmanuel (6)