Although I’m already back in the States, I’m going to write one last blog on my Honduran experience. I’ll admit that it’s been hard to comeback, and so writing this has graciously allowed me to revert back in my mind to those dusty streets, rainy afternoons, and smiling children. As opposed to writing about what I was learning while there, I’m going to tell a little about what I actually did during my time at La Providencia. As an intern, my role was to teach English. Starting at 7:30 in the morning when I hopped off the school bus with the children at Academia La Providencia, I was attempting to instruct our difficult language to several eager students. My first “class” was with one set of house parents. Despite the four children playing noisily on the porch, stacks of dirty clothes to be cleaned, dishes piled, beds unmade and a to-do list a mile long, these two servants gathered excitedly every morning with me. We memorized flash cards, practiced greetings, and laughed about pronunciations. After playing and hugging goodbye to each child, I walked across the path to the other orphan home to work with that precious mother. She’s taking an English class right now and so we muddled through her homework and attempted to understand past tense, positive and negative commands, and how to ask proper questions. It was comical as we navigated the ins and outs of English grammar. With both these sessions, inevitably our mornings turned to Spanish conversations about our lives and the faithfulness of the Lord. These were precious times for me as I got a glimpse into the hearts of beautiful friends who are seeking to serve the Lord daily. I’m not sure how much better they will be at speaking English. I’m not even sure if they’ll remember the English words for “sink,” “shovel,” and “welcome,” but I do know that I am a better person because of the mornings I got to spend with those three special people, and I am very grateful!

After a little work in the library at school and a quick lunch with the Academia La Providencia students, I piled on the bus with the little ones at noon and headed back to the Agua del Padre neighborhood. My next class consisted of youth and adults that were some way connected to La Providencia. Whether the mother or sibling of a student at ALP, a neighbor or a friend, each of the 8 committed students came every day eager to learn. We had a great time together. The good thing was that they all came with the same level of English…zero. The hard thing was that with that level of English, the amount to learn is almost daunting! We took it little by little learning numbers, colors, verbs, adjectives, and a lot of vocabulary. By the end of four intensive weeks, the students could say basic English phrases with confidence, which was such a success! The relationships that were built along the way are priceless. While playing games and taking notes, we broke down language and cultural barriers to form true friendships. On the day of our last class, I surprised them with certificates for their accomplishments in English. In turn, they surprised me with wonderful gifts and notes to remember them and their native country. It was a very unique and awesome group of students and I miss them every day! After those students filed out to pick up their kids off the ALP bus, I spent time tutoring a couple of those students one-on-one. For some students a bilingual education is amazing, for others, it provides such confusion that mastery in either language is very difficult. Therefore, I worked with a couple of those students to help them with the alphabet, phonics, and grammar of English. It was both rewarding and frustrating, and I pray that the Lord will guide them in their educational endeavors. My day ended with the administrator from La Providencia and his wife. Inevitably, it was also the time when a big storm usually rolled in, so we spent our late afternoons huddled under the roof of the church trying to practice English without electricity. Gratefully this couple, especially the wife, is very good at English. We learned a few basic word structure tricks, but mostly we practiced listening and speaking. I would transcribe songs from my iPod, leaving blanks for certain words. Then, while listening to the song over and over, the couple would proudly fill in the blanks of the song. We loved this activity and ended up singing American songs to each other all month long. Just as with the other classes that I taught, this time was more relationship building than anything else. I loved hearing their stories and learning about the Christian Honduran culture through their experiences.

They are both dear believers and now very dear friends of mine!

It’s hard to describe what a privilege it was to teach each one of these students. I loved the adventures that each day held and am so grateful for the time that I was able to spend in Honduras. Those friendships will forever be a part of my life and I have no doubt that I will be united with them as soon as I can get back down there!