Groceries, Kenzie, and Coffee

Several of the kids on our team sent support letters to raise funds to cover the cost of their trips.  Two of them brought in more than they needed, so they got to decide how to use that money to do ministry down there.  Sometimes teams that come down buy groceries and give them to families in the community, so that's what the kids decided to do.

We bundled the groceries Tuesday night. US dollars go really, really, really far down there...it was a lot of stuff!

These three pictures show what was in each "bundle" (frozen chicken not included).  We put together 15 bundles and had some other groceries left over as well.

Cramming everything into the 3 bags was quite a challenge.  Brook would always scold me when I got to her that my bag wasn't packed right, and she would fix it for me.

We all took turns handing the groceries.  Elliot learned how to say "God bless you" (in a greeting kind of way, not a sneezing kind of way) in Spanish, and he said it to every family.  It was really neat to see his desire to communicate God's love.

Check out this hat!  Toby has quite an impressive hat collection, and told him he should buy one of these and  bring it home.  He said he didn't know how to get it home, since he already had two carry-ons.  I told him he could wear it.

He got a smaller hat.  Chicken.

I made it a point to take picture of some of the "disadvantaged" dogs down there, so I could show my dogs and they could be grateful for what they have.

At this home there was a man with an injured foot.  The team gathered around him and Dilia prayed for him. They gave us some bread to thank us.

Toby is enjoying the bread.

That evening, Scott, Licia, and I went with Dago to pick up the coffee we ordered to take home with us.  On the way we stopped to meet Kenzie.  Dago & Dilia are working on starting up a program for special needs kids.  In Honduras, there are not services for special needs.  People with special needs are kept at home, not sent to school.  A couple in our church here at home have a granddaughter with Down's Syndrome, named Carly.  Carly has a sister named Kenzie.  Carly wanted to sponsor Kenzie in Honduras in the program.  I gave Kenzie a gift from Carly and a picture of her.

After a beautiful drive through the mountains, we arrived at this roadside coffee shop.  Aren't those tables awesome?

A cup of coffee was just about $1 USD.

Our team got a lot of coffee to take home.

The camera battery died after I got these coffee shop pictures, and we didn't have power at the children's home for the rest of the night, so I couldn't charge the battery to take the camera to the beach on Thursday.  I'm not gonna lie...it was nice to have a break from taking pictures.

That just about wraps up our trip summary...finally.  We've been home for a month and a half, so I guess its about time.  It was a pretty big deal, though, so of course it takes time to tell the stories.

Having been home for a month and a half now, I still am wishing I had stayed there.  I feel horrible and ungrateful saying that... I have a beautiful life with amazing people here at home.  But life was beautiful and there were amazing people down there, too.

A huge part of my amazing experience was the team that we went with. God worked to put just the right people together.  I know that if (WHEN!) I got back to Honduras the experience will not be the same.  Its kind of like college-- it was so much fun and I loved it, and I want to go back, but I know that going back it won't be the same.  The same people aren't there, and even if they are, they have changed.  And I have too. I have a really hard time with that.  

I guess that since you can never really repeat an experience, it is so crucial to make the most of it when you have it, and soak in every second of it.  I am so glad for the work God did in me before the trip to prepare me to experience it that way. Usually I am worried about what's coming next, and not fully living in the moment.  My ability to soak in every detail was truly the work of God in me, and I am so grateful for that gift. 

I just need to remember to live my life like that now that I'm home, too.  Enjoy every bit of every moment with my husband and my dogs and my amazing (truly, AMAZING) friends.  I need to open my eyes to see the work that God is always doing around me.  I need to stop wishing for time to pass more quickly, and enjoy what is happening now.  This is so counter-intuitive to me, guys.  It is not in my nature to do that.  But that was what I loved about Honduras and what I wanted to bring back with me.  Living in the moment and being so grateful for everything.

Thanks for reading along. Thanks for being patient with me as I have slowly hammered these stories out. Thank you so much for all of the words of encouragement you have said to me...I can't tell you what your feedback means.  You have blessed me beyond belief.  Writing a blog actually takes a lot of time, and it is so good to know that people read it! Also, these stories are a big deal to me, and I am so grateful that someone will listen to them.  I hope that it is evident beyond the shadow of a doubt that it was God working all the way through this trip that made it so incredible.  There is nothing, NOTHING more exciting than seeing God work and knowing Him more through that.

For those of you that have been reading just to hear about the trip friends or family members took, I am so glad you stopped by.  Feel free to stick around for recipes, dogs, and the other craziness and beauty that is life in the Taylor home.