Picture Honduras

The Spring Break season means lots of North Americans in Honduras.  Pictured here is a group from Memorial Road Church of Christ and from Young Life in Oklahoma.  We're really grateful for all the help and encouragement they gave us last week.

md

poor & needy

For several years now I've had an interest in issues of poverty and have sought to learn more about how God feels about and treats the poor.  To me, it's pretty evident that God has a special place in his heart for the needy, as time and again we can read that He "rescues ... delivers ... protects ... secures justice for ... upholds the cause of ... hears the cry of ... and provides refuge to the poor," and encourages believers on the earth to do the same.
So lately, as I've been reading through the Psalms, something has caught my attention and sparked my interest in a new way.  Throughout David's writings he continually uses a phrase that, in my opinion, is a bit unexpected from the mouth of a king: 


"I am poor and needy."


Unexpected, because - usually - visualizing the poor and needy leads our minds to the financial realm, and we may think of people without shoes or food or a decent house.  But I'm pretty sure that King David didn't lack for material things and was not speaking in material terms.  I believe David was talking about his need for God in his life.
And don't we see a similar theme throughout Scripture, that the LORD loves when we are willing to admit our weakness without Him and run to Him for His strength and love?  The Beatitudes tell us that the 'poor in spirit' are blessed.  The story of the Prodigal Son honors the contrite spirit of the young son, as he trusts enough in his father's love and forgiveness to return home.  In my own life I feel closest to God when I'm willing to be empty before Him.
I believe God wants us to live bold lives for Him...but I think He wants that boldness to come from Him and not from ourselves.  It's easy, especially when things are going well, to claim the power or the intelligence or the skill with which we accomplish success as our own, forgetting that everything Good comes from Him.  No breath we take, thought we think, or deed we do is possible without His sustaining power in our lives.
For Christians, the day of our confession and baptism is a salient point in our lives of surrender of our selves - an admittance that we, indeed, are poor and needy, and that we're nothing without the saving grace of God.  But the further I travel along my journey with Him, the more I realize He wants me to regularly and continually bow before Him in that same humble posture, acknowledging His beautiful glory.  
And His glory - I think - is what it's all about.  In Psalm 109:22, David says, "I am poor and needy," and a few verses later, "Save me in accordance with your love...Let them know that it is your hand...that you, O LORD, have done it."


md

Seriously?!?

This is an update for those friends of mine who, a few years ago, kindly pointed out my habit of reacting very demonstratively when people tell me incredible/crazy/unbelievable stories. According to them, I guess there's a lot of "uh-uh!," "you're kidding!," and "seriously?!" coming from my end of the conversation.
Well, I'm happy to announce that I've found equally-enthusiastic ways to express myself in Spanish. In the photo above, I can almost guarantee you the words coming out of my mouth are, "En serio?", which means, "Seriously?" ...and which I find myself saying all the time!
For real, though, this picture is from an amazing lunch we had yesterday with a family from our church. They showered us with love and good food, and we were so blessed to have spent the afternoon with them.  
We'll write more about this lunch in our next newsletter.  If you're not getting our newsletter and would like to, just email me at mdodson733@gmail.com, and I'll add you to our list!


md

Time Difference

Of the many differences between the culture of Honduras and the culture we are accustomed to in the US, the view of time is, for me, at the top of the list of the widest culture gaps.  Before we came, I had some knowledge that Latin cultures tended to view schedules and appointments differently.  I had no idea how deeply-rooted and fundamentally different each culture's view of time really is.  I still can't totally wrap my brain around it.  To have a completely different view of something as basic as the essence of time seems unfathomable.  But however difficult it is for me to imagine not completing an important task on-time because of a long chat with a neighbor over a cup of coffee, it would be equally unthinkable for many Hondurans to turn their backs on something as important as an enjoyable discussion with a friend in order to finish an inconsequential task that can always be done later.  Each view of time certainly has its pros and cons.  And while I do think we should be good stewards of our time and "seize the day," I think we could benefit from learning some lessons from this different perspective.  Whenever I have an unexpected "delay" or "interruption", I usually think something like, "What else could I be doing right now?" or "If I wasn't having to wait here or be interrupted like this, there's no telling what I would be accomplishing!"  The truth is, I would probably be happier and have better relationships if, instead of focusing on what else I could be doing, I was just present wherever I found myself.  To quote John Lennon, "Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans."  The fact is, wherever I am, that's where I am and I'm not somewhere else doing something different.  It could be that right now I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.  Maybe that's part of "making the most of every opportunity".


bd

Being back in the U.S.

On our visit to the states a lot of people asked us if it felt weird to be back or if we were experiencing any "reverse culture shock".  It did feel strange to come back to the US for the first time in 14 months after living in a "developing country".  It was strange to hear so much English being spoken, for the roads to be so wide and smooth, and it was weird to see how much of a selection of everything there was the first time we went to the grocery store.  


After a few days, though, probably the most shocking thing to me was how "normal" things in the US felt.  That initial shock wore off much more quickly than I thought it would.  Pretty soon it felt normal again to be able to find nearly any type of food you could ever want in any grocery store, or to see really nice houses without a wall and razor-wire around them, or to be able to walk down the street at night.  I'm definitely no expert on living abroad and there's lots of places in the world I haven't been yet, but I've learned enough about the world outside my home country to know that the lifestyle that most people in the United States enjoy is not normal.  I don't mean that there's anything wrong with it.  I just know now that what we have experienced here in Honduras in a little over a year is much closer to reality for the vast majority of people around the world than the culture I lived in for 31 years. 


I think probably the best thing about being back in the US was, for me, being able to enjoy the small (and not-so-small) luxuries that I had grown accustomed to.  I was able to better appreciate those things and to feel gratitude to God for them.  I think that must be the point.


bd

Thank-full

This was our second time to host a Thanksgiving meal in Honduras, and I must say it was definitely easier this time around!  We, again, decided that our guests would be Baxter students, which meant that several countries were represented this year: Cuba, Peru and Honduras.  While Bart and I have always been intrigued by international people, after living here, I think we're moving beyond intrigue to commitment.  

When moving here, we knew we would feel committed to the people of Honduras, but I think 2 things have broadened that commitment to all international people.  First, we are international people as we live here in Tegucigalpa.  We are the aliens in a foreign land, and we now know what it's like to try to adjust and adapt to a new culture, to want to share your own culture with others, and to wonder where "home" really is.  So we also understand how meaningful it is when others are patient with us, when they openly extend their lives to us, when they make us feel part of their 'family.'  

Second, through the travel to several other countries that God has allowed us to enjoy this year, and through all the nations that are brought to us (through the Baxter students), we have come to appreciate the varied food, music, architecture, terrain, traditions, people and personalities of many unique countries.  And while no nation is perfect, I believe there is something we can learn from people in every single corner of the world.

So, this year we are truly thankful...For the welcoming spirit of our host countries, for the opportunity to experience new aspects of God through the world's cultures, and for our newfound commitment to serve the 'stranger'...which we hope will be lifelong mission, no matter where we live.

md

Top Ten Things I'm (Pretty Much) Accustomed To Now:

Although my 'journey of adjustment' in our new culture has taken longer and been more difficult than I'd imagined, I'm finally feeling more comfortable and able to re-define what "normal" is in everyday life.  So - here it is - after almost 13 months in Honduras, the Top Ten list of things I'm (pretty much) accustomed to now:


#10 - Geckos in the house.


#9 - Seeing women breastfeeding as they walk around the mall.


#8 - (Let's be honest), seeing women breastfeeding everywhere!


#7 - Delicious avocado - for pennies on the dollar - throughout the year.


#6 - Pulling up to an intersection beside a family of 4 on a motorcycle.  (If you're wondering how that goes, it's: younger child in front, followed by Dad, then older kid, and finally Mom in the back.)


#5 - Being the only female with light skin, light hair, and light eyes as far as the eye can see.


#4 - Buying cartons of eggs off the regular grocery store shelves...not from the refrigerated section!


#3 - Getting home and finding those eggs still 'embellished' with feathers & chicken poop.


#2 - Living with the windows open year-round.  (The climate here really is amazing.)


#1 - Almost-daily getting the chance to observe different aspects of God's character through the people of this culture!


md