Honduran Elections

Today was the Honduran election day... and we are still awaiting news of who won the presidency. It is against the law to have any meetings today (I guess so that you don't sway votes) - so we didn't have church. Instead, Erin and I went out to the Gochez's house (Norman, Cesia, y Paola) - and ate lunch with them.

Afterwards, we went to vote with them. What a fun experiece that not many people have! We were able to go in to the school where they are registered and watch them vote. After they voted, they had to dip their pinky finger into ink so that they couldn't vote again under a different name.
It almost felt like a party - because there were so many people there.. greeting each other and selling food to eat.. I am so glad that we were able to go with them!

Afterwards, we took a walk around Ceiba, ending up at the beach near zona viva. We stayed there until the sun had almost set - and then walked home. Cesia and I had some very meaningful conversations about our lives and what we believe... and I am reminded that I need to be ready at any moment to give an account for the HOPE that I have - and for the REASON that I live the way I do.

yo vivo para Ti.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am ridiculously full! We had a huge thanksgiving dinner with Americans and Hondurans alike - we began the day thinking that 20-25 people would come do dinner.. and the final head count was 36 people! It was such a blessing to find this "family" away from my family. I miss my family - especially now, as my sister is in labor with my nephew.. but I have found such community, acceptance, and love here.. and for that I am very thankful!

First week of class...

What an adventure these past few days have been! With my first week of classes complete - I am walking away with many lessons. I wonder if the other teachers realized that I am not a teacher by profession, nor have I EVER taught a class before. :) When I walk into the classroom, and all the students stand up and say "Good Morning, Miss Stephanie..." and then the class is mine to control.. what a task! But classroom management is nothing compared to the task of making sure students who barely speak English can comprehend what I am talking about and are actually LEARNING. I have really stepped out of my comfort zone - as I sing (loudly, while the teacher is listening :/) with the kids to make sure they stay with me and pronunciate words well. They are all so sweet - and I look forward to getting to know them as well as I can. This week I talked about how God created the world and everything in the world - and how He loves us very much and wants to talk to us and for us to love Him and talk to Him back.
This whole experience has really brought me to my knees as I am constantly learning how to best deal with each unique class in each of the grades, to communicate with the students, and involve them in learning. The Lord has been so faithful to meet me in my weaknesses and insecurities. My natural tendency would be to back out - as I would much rather work with kids one-on-one - but what an incredible opportunity to teach over 70 kids in EACH grade - from all different backgrounds - about God and what it says about Him in the Bible!
I pray that with this class - God's word would touch the hearts of the children and that they would understand how God wants to be involved in their lives.

"Let your light so shine
that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
~ Matthew 5:16

faithful in the little things

HOW easy it would be to complain about life here - about the mold that grows everywhere, the guys that grab at you as they pass on their bikes, the constantly humid or rainy weather, the culture that is so different from everything we have ever known..
...and yet the Lord reminds me that when it rains in our lives - when we are tired, depressed, lonely, or sad - that He is ever close. And in those times God continues to call us to be faithful in the little things He has given us.

This morning started out like any other morning, waking up to find the rain pouring down, the power still out, and leaks flooding our apartment. I did not want to go anywhere.. and was fed up with cleaning up the water on the floor. I seriously considered playing hook-y from language school - however I grabbed my largest umbrella and set out walking the 7 (mas o menos) blocks to school. Little did I know that we were in a "red alert" - which closes most schools - and the water was flooding the colonias and houses so much that most of the teachers couldn't come to school anyways. Instead of turning around and going home to my nice, warm, dry bed - I continued walking downtown to check up on Paola (and the condition of her house), who was working in her family's tourist kiosk.
I went there with the intention of saying "hi" and asking about her family in attempt to show her that I care about her and her family. However, because of the rain, there wasn't much business, and Paola and I ended up having one of our most meaningful conversations while sitting in the little kiosk. We ended up reading the Bible together and sharing a devotional from "The Daily Bread" - and that opened the door for a discussion on our spiritual gifts and women's roles in the church.

Not too much later, I enjoyed lunch with Paola, Norman, Erin, y Oscar - and then spent some more time with some other friends, Cesia and Tammy - who also came to the kiosk in the afternoon. I have loved coming to know my new friends - and I see how they have such a heart to love, know and serve the Lord in their lives... but they have received such shallow teaching of the scripture.

I am so grateful that the Lord has opened doors for me to talk about the Bible and go deeper in my relationships with these girls. I can't believe I would have missed out on my morning with Paola if I had let the rain keep me from venturing out of where I was comfortable. Staying inside today would have been a lot easier - it would have been a lot more comfortable - and I would have less laundry to do. But what an amazing day it ended up being - despite all of the rain.

I am here in La Ceiba to serve the Lord in every aspect of my life - but the only way the Lord is able to use me is for me to be faithful in what He has already brought into my life. When we are faithful to continue pouring into the people and the jobs that the Lord has placed us in, this then allows Him to open more opportunities to join God where He is working.

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 4:10-11

I want to encourage you - that no matter where you are, no matter how trivial your task may seem (be it caring for your children, praying for a friend, studying for test, visiting someone who is sick) - be diligent, and work "as unto the Lord" - for God will use you in unexpected ways and reward you for your faithfulness to Him.

rain rain go away

So we are approaching our third day of continuous rain... Erin and I have given up on catching all the leaks and trying to prevent mold from growing until the rain stops. This rain floods the streets and houses so often, I have never seen anything like it! It is always an adventure showering or cooking or really doing anything - because the power and water are continually being disconnected with all this rain. Being the good student that I am, however - rain in the streets up to my knees isn't enough to keep me away from language school... and no light to do homework by is easily remedied by a candle and my laptop screen. Yes, I'm dedicated.. ;) (I know I'm looking incredible good in this picture.. haha, oh well - I felt like I needed to give you a visual aid)

Honestly, the rain hasn't been all bad - as it has demanded that I stop running around everywhere, and allowed for time to rest and spend quality time in the Word. As I am preparing to begin teaching the Bible to students in a non-Christian school, it is my prayer that whatever I teach would be from the overflow of my heart and that the kids would be able to understand what I am talking about. I pray that these classes would be led by the Spirit and that through all that I do, I will point the kids to Jesus Christ. Please continue to be in prayer for me and the students - that my transition from "administrator" to "teacher" would go smoothly, and that the students would be receptive to the teaching!

Children's songs...

Behold
what love
the Father has bestowed on us
that we
should be
called the sons of God.

i have been singing children's songs to myself all evening - preparing for the Bible classes for 1st-3rd graders I will begin to teach on Monday - as well as building my self esteem to sing acapella in front of the students. As I'm forced to consider the words that the students will not understand and then explain the song to them in words that they do understand - I have been struck by the depth of meaning in each of the songs.
What an amazing thought, that the Lord would call us His sons and daughters - that by nothing we have done, we receive such an incredible gift. So often it is easy to say to someone they are my sister or brother in Christ, and lose the actual meaning because these churchy words are so commonplace - but to actually think God has made us joint heirs along with Christ.. that God has brought us into His family.. what a privilege.. what a blessing.. to know that we will have family no matter where we go in the world - because God is God over ALL the world. and as far at the east is from the west, nothing can separate us from the love of God. can we even comprehend the enormity of what this means for our lives?

Dinner fun...

Erin, Cesia, Paola, and I had a dinner party - where Cesia and Paola taught us how to make a typical honduran meal (with home-made tortillas, of course! pollo, chismole, y salsa)! I can't tell you how many times they just laughed at Erin and me... tortilla-making isn't easy! The real challenge will be to see if Erin and I can make the same meal without them standing next to us... ha ha, um... I should have written it down. ;) No worries, by the time I come back to the States, I will be an expert tortilla maker! (and they taste so much better than the ones you buy in the store)

I often get frustrated because I want to talk with these girls about more meaningful things, but our conversations are so limited. Please pray that I will be diligent in making time to study Spanish, and that our relationships would deepen as our ability to communicate with each other improves.

This picture is of Cesia, Norman, and Paola standing in the central park in Ceiba. I met them at our church, Primera Iglesia Bautista, and they have become some of my closest friends here. They speak very little English - but they are helpful and patient with me as I blunder through my spanish (as long as I talk fast, it sounds good - who cares if it is wrong) ;) Every once in a while they practice a little English with me - and I appreciate it when I am the one doing the correcting for once.. :) I am so grateful for their friendship - as we are able to have fun together, as well as talk about the Lord. I am looking forward to continuing building our friendship!

life experiences...

So I am officially posting my life on the internet for everyone to see due to Ruth's recommendation. Yes, no more super long emails about my life - it is now your responsibility to check out this website if you want to know what is going on in my life. You could always call me as well, as Erin and I have a US phone in our apartment: 1-865-686-6399. Erin has been a great "companera de cuarto" and I am so thankful to have her to live life with. I can't believe that I've been in Honduras for 7 weeks - the time has flown by. The days are busy and I am constantly being pushed out of my comfort zone... whether it is teaching in classes (grades 1-6, with no training!), participating in dramas for youth evangelism/outreach, playing guitar and leading worship for our team worship, or por supuesto, speaking in Spanish (I am constantly battling the perfectionist in me to just jump in and say whatever and make errors and not worry about it, but learn from my mistakes.) I had the opportunity to go to Naval, a military school here in Ceiba, with the University Christian group - as they minister to the students training there. It was really great to be a part of a Honduran outreach, and they are already planning on me giving my testimony, helping with their one-on-one evangelism, and singing a song in English (HA! yeah right, joyful noises are not ment to be solos! This is the time I wish I had Dee-Dee or Rachel's voice!).
The Lord has blessed me with some amazing friends here - and I love our team. I am reminded once again that in the body of Christ I have family all over the world - and I have seen that here, as I've been welcomed into the hearts and homes of both missionaries and Hondurans here in Ceiba and around the country.
I hope you enjoy reading my updates and please respond - or email me (stephanieleecole@gmail.com) - because I would love to hear from you!
En Dios confio...

Me with my first teacher at Language school - Esther - who will have her first daughter any day now.. She gave me lots of advice on getting around Ceiba - and she was a great teacher! Look, I'm not sweating on this day (and wearing longer sleeves)! It must have only be 80* - but the cooler temperatures didn't last long!