A Time for Thanksgiving

Being that it is Thanksgiving tomorrow (or rather today), I thought I would take some time to think about and reflect on the things that I am thankful for-- things that I have come to realize and appreciate even more since being in Honduras, things we don’t often always think about.

JD with 3 of the students we tutor-
Oscar, Vanessa, and Emy

1. Education- As I have blogged about before, I am volunteering twice a week at the bi-lingual alternative school across the street from the clinic.  There are many people that attend this school, but not without a price.  Many of the students are children that are here from the US, but a number of the students are also from the Colonia, living under very poor conditions.  The students at the school are of all ages and understand English to varying degrees.  I was talking with one of the American students the other day and asked him how old he was, to which he replied, "I'm 6 and I'm in 2nd grade."  Now as most of you know, a 6 yr old in the states would be in either kindergarten or 1st grade-- not 2nd!  However, here it is not uncommon to have children of all ages in all classes-- mostly because of comprehension levels.  Any student that attends the bi-lingual schools must pay to attend.  For some this is not an issues; for many, it is of great cost to them and they would not be able to attend if it were not for scholarships and people willing to sponsor their schooling.  Upon completion of primary school (or secondary school, for those that make it), children typically go to find work and/or start a family.  It is not uncommon for people to start having children young here, partially because in order to go to university it means moving away from the island and being able to afford it.  So why is education something I'm thankful for?  Because I was privileged enough to be able to attend a private school and receive a solid education- not only through high school but on through college and soon to be grad school.  I did not have to struggle on a daily basis to be able to understand what my teacher was telling me (even though it may have sounded like gibberish to me, at least it was in my native tongue!)

2. Faith- My faith has been a part of me ever since I was born.  I grew up going to church, attended private school all the way through college, and was involved in youth group.  Once I got to Roatan, I didn’t know where my faith would take me.  One of the other volunteers is also Catholic, so the first weekend, we were able to go to church together.  However, it was all in Spanish, so even though I was able to follow the mass, I understood very little.  Lucky for me, there is a bilingual mass on Saturday nights—perfect!  After going to the Spanish mass for nearly a month, it was nice to be able to go to mass, understand what was going on, and sing songs of praise.  There is also another church that I go to with the rest of the volunteers on Sunday mornings that is non-denominational and to me, is more like a praise and worship time.  It reminds me very much of MAGIS, a praise group we had at college.  Over the course of these 2 months, I have also seen my faith grow in the where I see God.  I have been able to see God at work in many different ways.  It is really quite amazing the things we miss out on when we are so wrapped up in our everyday lives that we can’t see God hard at work.  We are so quick to assume that God has left us high and dry when something goes wrong; however, everything happens for a reason and God works on his timeline, not ours.  He will allow things to happen, but not until we are adequately prepared for it.  This is only a glimpse into how I am thankful for my faith; hopefully as the year goes on, I will be able to give you more insight into this topic.

3. Communication- Communication is one of those things that we use on a daily basis, whether it in conversation, email, messenger, phone, or snail mail.  Being in Honduras has given me a new perspective on this.  Every day I go to work and wonder if we will have mainly English speakers or Spanish speakers.  What kinds of things will I need to say or understand today that I won’t be able to?  Having a language barrier has really opened my eyes to what people go through on a daily basis.  Those people that are living in the US and cannot understand English very well go through the same thing that I go through as I am trying to speak with patients in the clinic.  One may be able to assume that it could be frustrating to not be able to understand what someone is trying to tell you.  But when you are actually in that position, it can get frustrating very quickly if what you are trying to communicate is not getting communicated. 

Even though the postal service is not as busy as it once was, I have always loved to get mail.  Ever since I was 4 or 5, I would eagerly await the coming of the mailman in the afternoon.  Without a doubt, I would be standing at the end of the driveway when the mailman approached.  For the next 18 years, whenever the mailman came, I would always go out and greet him with a smile and make small talk with him.  Oh how I miss those days.  Now, not only can I not receive/send mail without knowing someone coming to or leaving the island, I don’t even have a street address!  Not always having internet access or being able to pick up the phone and call whoever I want is also something that I think we often take for granted.  There has been several times where I’ve wanted to talk to someone, but had to wait for them to be online at the same time I was online.  Like now, for instance.  I go on Facebook to find out my brother was in an accident and his truck was totaled—no worries, he’s alright (so says Facebook), but do you suppose anyone is online to find out the story behind it?  Nope…guess that one will have to wait!  Thank goodness we have some extra guardian angels on our side!  (As I am writing this, I find out all he walked away with was a broken finger nail….haha, I think we will be able to handle that one!)

That being said, I’m thankful that I live in an area where my language is the native language and everyone can understand me.  I am thankful that I can send someone a card or a letter whenever I want, and I can check the mailbox or talk with the mailman every day as well.  I am thankful for being able to pick up the phone whenever I want to call whoever I want. 

Education, faith, and communication are the 3 big things that I am thankful for this year, especially now that I have been in an area in which these things are so much more real to me.  However, my list would not be complete without saying that I am thankful for my family and friends as well.  Without the support that I receive from all of you on a regular basis, I would not have to strength to be where I am today.  My success is in part due to the encouragement, support, and love from all of you.  Thank you for all your love, prayers, and support as I continue on my life journey of serving God in a way that I feel I have been called to do.

I challenge you to think past the typical things we are thankful for such as family and friends, and really consider what God has blessed you with.  What things do you take for granted every day?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Laura