Fun and Random

On January 19th we had a fun yet random afternoon. It's a custom after school to go up to the soccer field to play a game or just hang around and talk. On this particular day some of the girls decided to do some "pyramids" or like cheerleading stances. Well, it evolved a little, and the boys started participating. We went as far as to make a line of people standing across from each other holding hands and putting a person in the middle. We bounced our arms up and down to throw the person in the middle all the way down the line. We laughed a lot. We also made formation of six people on the bottom, and five on top. Everyone was standing, with the people on bottom walking around. It was so much fun, but one of the most random things I have ever done.

Starry Nights and Early Mornings

Somewhere in my early teen years I fell in love with the vast open starry sky. I remember "escaping" many a night out on to my roof, I would take a very deep breath and my eyes would make it to the sky, and somehow, no matter what "dramatic" thing had happened to me that day I knew that it would be ok. In the big scheme of things it wasn't that big of a deal. It became my solace, my alone time, but most importantly my time to pray and be with God. It seemed no matter how many times I looked into the sky there was always something else that God would show me about Himself, His ways, who He is, and how no matter how hard we try we will never truly be able to wrap our minds around all of Him. If I can not wrap my mind around the idea of how vast the sky is, how can I wrap my mind around God? Someone who created the great, big, vast sky. I find myself still drawn to the starry sky, just to sit and think. It beacons to me, whispers in my ear, and touches my soul. Honduras seems to collect more clouds than Tennessee, or perhaps it's just that I sit closer to the sky here than I did in Tennessee, but no matter the reason it doesn't give as many opportunities for clear nights. Last night however was very clear, and the stars shone brightly in the dark sky. I convinced my roommate Kendra to come with me to the soccer field to look at the stars. I took my big green blanket and we allowed our selves to be engulfed in the sky. We stayed there for more than an hour, some in silence, but a lot in enriching conversation. I'm so thankful for moments like that, to just be able to take a step back, and spend time in wonderment.
I also find myself in moments of wonder in the early morning hours, before the world has really woken up. The clouds are still sleeping on the ground and sun is barley begun to stretch it's arms. The world seems so calm and peaceful, like it's in no hurry. Not quite ready to take that first sip of morning coffee, or wake from it's lulling sleep. When you wake up early it's like you get to take a look at the world through a totally different lens. Every morning has it's own unique finger print, no two mornings are exactly the same. I think that it's God's way of motivating me to wake up in the morning, like He says, "Come and discover the way I made the word today." As I run, I try to breath in the beauty that God has created for us, and make a mental picture of the gift God gives me each day. Somehow I think those first moments of the day are the ones that carry me through the rest of the day, whatever it might hold.

Soccer

The girls enjoying the game

The two teams

The game

The game

The game

Last Friday and Saturday we had a church group come out to the Ranch to do worship and play a soccer game with our kids. We get teams a lot from the States but this was unique because it was a church group from Honduras. Worship on Friday night was AWESOME! They brought a whole "band" out to play. It was the first time since I had been here that we had a full band. I really enjoyed the time and thought it was very refreshing. On Saturday morning we had the big soccer game! The church group had come out before to play some soccer, and last time we had lost to their team. They have a very talented team of players, but so do we. It was a big let down for us last time when we lost, so the boys were excited to have a chance to play them again. Our team won this time 4-2, but it was pretty close there for a while. The boys seemed to have a really good time, and I enjoyed watching.

The mountainous land of Honduras

If ever I could truly imagine what the bottom of the ocean looks like I would have to imagine it to be likened to that of the city of Tegucigalpa. Never before living here had I seen such a uniquely mountainous place, or had I ever know a mountain to come to such a sharp point. Not a nice rounded top but something so thin and pointy that you wondered if it would even be possible to stand on the very top. Some of the mountains rise from nice slopes, other mountains could really be considered cliffs and cause you to wonder what happened to the sides of the tall platform. Still you have the mountains that slope so sharply that it looks strange, not norrmal, even funny to see an animal standing on the side of it. If you were to paint a picture of a cow standing on a mountain like this there is no way that you could make it look realistic, because when you see it right in front of you it looks so fake that a part of your brain tells you that it can't be real. I never knew that there could be as many types of mountains as there are types of trees and flowers.