Christmas 2014

This year. The busiest one yet. The biggest success yet!

This season has been jammed packed full of everything under the sun. Although my body is literally sick of overworking/organizing/prepping, I love celebrating and putting sweet smiles on so many faces. We have been preparing Christmas newsletters and photos to send to all of you! (Also, be sure to check back here on New Years to read our Newsletter online)

We have had several large orders from supporters of our ministry help us sell our bead wrap bracelets. This Christmas, we have been able to bless 23 women and their families by selling their products. They have had us busy busy busy ordering from our women, printing cards, cutting and packaging over 700 bracelet orders!

As the year 2014 comes to a close we have had to finished up logistics for this year with Finding Hope. This includes tax information, nonprofit records, tracking donations, and important papers for our ministry. Our town has also generously donated more land to Finding Hope! We are growing more and more everyday! Praise the Lord!

A dear friend of mine, Cristina was able to visit again this year! Cristina has been back several times to Porvenir, this time specifically to start a health project through her school. Thanks to her help we have had one more person to help us with all the craziness!

We always love when we get to visit our sponsored children. They hold a special place in our heart. We were able to share a small Christmas present with the family, visit four children who I truly consider my brothers and sisters and kiss their precious little faces! I am looking for two sponsors for this dear family. If you would like to know more about them and how you can be a part of their future, please send me a message!

This year, we were able to host two Christmas parties. One for our Womens beading group and the other for our Sunday School kids! Both were a huge success filled with lots of food, pinatas, crafts and activities, cookies and cakes and lots of happy holiday joy.

Sunday School kids in the back of a pickup! Just a "few" of the 60 kids who showed up for our Christmas party!

Almost all of our women celebrating a year FULL of bracelets!

For the past few mornings (squeezing in ANY time we could find) we spent making 200 Christmas goodies to hand out to all our families in El Porvenir! Just a lil treat that for most people have never had a candy cane before!! Note to self: Make more next year and next time something easier! The 24th we walked around town for hours visiting everyone and sharing a little joy with those we love so much!

This year we were honored to be able to celebrate with our special firefighter friends in a Christmas dinner and gift exchange! With lots of food, great company, and karaoke we were able to share a bit of the season with people who do so much for this community. More than firefighters, they are a large part of a BIG change for this town!

Along with the Christmas dinner, the firefighers also hosted all things "Christmas events" taking part in Porvenir. They hosted festivities like the lighting of the tree, the setting up of a hand-made manger scene, the best tamale cooking contest, a hidden treasure activity, Christmas parade (of which we got to ride with Santa on the ambulance), karaoke night, crowning of Miss. Porvenir Christmas, and more. Everything was filmed live on a local La Ceiba channel and I was even interviewed and starred on TV (haha yet again)!

This year I was able to visit a very poor village just outside of El Porvenir, meet a few families and their children who touched my heart deeply. Thanks to Anne Fowler who donated a mattress and COPECO an organization in Honduras, Don David and "Feed the Children", and the firefighers for their collaboration and organization, this family along with several others got new mattresses, food and toys. Hopefully they were able to have a bright Christmas with a little gift of Christs love.

Their old mattress.

Their house of sticks and mud

One of the several children who sleep together on this bed

Last week a local family, a second family to me, were able to get married. They have been together for years and all their children are grown. If you remember earlier this year I posted a few pictures of their church marriage. Well this time, they were married legally! Haille and I were able to be present as "witnesses" and share this special day with them!

All of these activities/events/parties meant crazy busy days getting everything together and making it just perfect! It was a wonderful Christmas season and I am overjoyed to have spent it with so many special friends. I am blessed to have so many people in my life who love and care for me as family. 

I would love to say my body can rest and maybe ill get some sleep but its not over yet! Christmas day will be spent with our missionary family over a Christmas lunch together and an evening church service celebrating the birth of our Senor y Salvador. The 26th we will do another food distribution and anxiously wait a work team for our Women and Children Center! The 27th my WONDERFUL family comes to Honduras! I cant wait to show them everything so special to me and share the coming of the new year together! So many great things still to come :) 

Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Nuevo!

These are the days of our lives

Sometimes being a missionary on the field is a day of playing with kids, swimming and soccer games. Sometimes its planning logistics for a Women and Children Center/Shelter. Somedays it’s a shopping day in La Ceiba buying materials for the womens bracelets, buying supplies for a new mother and baby or running hospital visits. Other days its filled with stories that break hearts and we are reassured God has us here for a reason. To be available to this community, that people know they can confide in us and feel free to tell us whats going on in their lives. Today was one of those days.

The following stories are all women in our bracelet group:

This morning Haille and I spent washing clothes with Liliana and Onoria in the river. For a few hours we learned a few hand washing techniques and skills. We talked about Lilianas pregnancy and the troubles with her husband. We met Onorias 16 year old daughter who cooked us the most delectable lunch. We talked about God, what sin is in our lives and the importance of asking forgiveness. Even though the morning ended up with wrinkly fingers and an achy back, getting to learn more about the lives of the women in our program and spend time with their families is all we could ask for.

This afternoon, we had our weekly meeting with the women of our bracelet group. Thanks to so many wonderful supports, the women have sold 40 bracelets each in the past month! Each bracelets sells for $5 and the women receive 100% of the proceeds. They were thrilled to hear for the next 6 weeks they will receive $25 weekly. A week before Christmas they will receive $50! Christmas here is a very special holiday with family, the blessing of $50 to be able to share with family is more than many of us can even comprehend. After our meeting I was pulled aside by Stephanie. She proceeded to tell me her mother was brutally beaten by her stepfather last night. Her younger siblings shocked and frozen in the room. Her mother left in the middle of the night. This has been going on for years, but her mother is scared to report him. Unfortunately this happens more often than not. Haille posted this last week:

“In a town of about 5000 people, only 40 women in an entire YEAR reported domestic abuse.
In an area where there is some sort of abuse going on in almost every home, this statistic breaks my heart.
It breaks my heart that so many women stay silent because they're afraid of their husband, they think they deserve the abuse, they don't know what the alternative could be, they can't imagine a better future, and many other tragic excuses that are just not true.
The lies that are believed about their self-esteem and their roles in society are absolutely soul-crushing.”

Through Finding Hope we want to be a solution. A solution to these women who feel like they have no other option. We want to be the love and Christ like examples to families who have struggled and suffered for years. El Porvenir, when you drive through for the first time, seems like a cheery quaint little town with happy people and kids running about. Its true. But its not until you invest in the lives of the families and look past the outward appearances that you realize the true suffering that goes on daily.

After our meeting, we passed by Kerlins. Her mother is always sitting outside the house with the biggest smile on her face. Every Wednesday when we pass by she is so delighted to see us. This Wednesday we learned her husband, Kerlins dad, passed away at 78 years old. He was their only source of income, begging for money. Now Kerlin is the only provider for the family through her work with Finding Hope and making bracelets. Her mother said "Thanks be to God for the money Kerlin has received through Finding Hope. It has been a big blessing for our family, as its our only source of income....some days we eat and other days we just have to deal with hunger. We have no other option”

Our hearts break through these types of conversations. We do what we can to help people in these types of situations. We can pray with them, we can give what our resources allow, and we can keep encouraging our women in our bracelet program. You, reading this right now, are the backbone behind this program. Every bracelet purchased directly supports 23 women and their families. You are giving so much more than just $5 to these women. You are saying “I support you, I love you and I want to be a part of your life” The changes are real. These lives are real. So thank you. On behalf of the women, thank you.

Please consider being a part of Finding Hope by selling bracelets at a local event in your area. Christmas is coming up and they make great stocking stuffers! Would you sell at your office, work or school? Its important for us to show these women we are continually invested in their lives. You can help us do that!

Today was a special day. A special day spent with several of our women. Please keep these women in your prayers. Please also keep Haille and I in your prayers. That we have the words to give these women. That God may use us to minister to them and pray for them. That through the faith we have in our eternal father change can happen. 

And finally, a baby is born.

This blog is all about a sweet baby boy still with no name.

Births. Births here in Honduras are filled with drama. Do we have the baby at home? Can we even afford the hospital? Do I take these vitamins? How will I pay for formula? Should I get an abortion? Who will take my baby once its born?

Unfortunatly, safe sex and planned parenting are not taught or talked about like they should be. Women suffer. Entirely too much. Many times sexual relationships are forced because they feel they “have to” or they are pressured into it. There is so much confusion. Everyday I talk to women and I hear more and more stories of their relationships. These conversations are just normal now. “My husband is abusive” “I want to leave but I have no where to go” “I stay with my husband because of my kids”…

Everyday I have these conversations and everyday I see more pregnant women. Just the other day a pregnant women was on the bus on her way to the hospital…IN LABOR. By herself. There was no one with her. I know too many 14-15 year olds with babies. Many of them impregnated by older men. Some twice or triple their age.

On top of the struggles that go on at home. Just figuring things out in the labor part of pregnancy is difficult. Here is Miladis story:

This is Miladys 9^th baby. Eight of the kids are from the same father. This is rare. Very rare to have the father stick around but also for so long. No, her husband isn’t perfect. He can be forceful with his kids, hitting them for something silly or taking out the belt to teach them a lesson. He has his faults.

About 2 months ago, Miladis said she was feeling a weird sort of pain and wanted to get an ultrasound done. We found out she would be having yet ANOTHER boy (only 2 are girls). Nothing was wrong.

About 2 weeks ago, her water apparently broke. She was losing constant fluid. She called one night saying that would be the night. She was having contractions. Three days after her “water broke” still no baby. It wasn’t until we were talking to my sister and another nurse in town that things could be bad. That if for sure her water broke, the baby could die from being suffocated inside, almost “stuck”. Well, Haille and I didn’t know any better. We immediately went over to her house at about 8:00 at night and said we needed to go to the hospital. She was hesitant. Apparently in the hospital there has been an infection killing babies and sending other children to a bigger city for intensive care. We finally convinced her that if she didn’t go that night, her baby could be dead before morning. So we went to the hospital. We told Miladis we would cover all expenses, obviously, since her husband Alex was out of a job and they have no money to their name. Our charge to be seen at the hospital was 5 lempiras. That’s 25 cents.

The nurse in the ER told us she just had a bacterial infection and that we needed to go to the clinic to get an ultrasound done to check on the baby. So we took a taxi to the ultrasound place. Its now about 10 at night. The doctor that does ultrasounds wasn’t in. But if we paid the after hour fee, they could call her in. So we decided it was worth it, we had to. The receptionist called. However, because of a gun shoot out in the doctors neighborhood she was too scared to leave. So we went home as well. The next day we went back for the ultrasound. The baby was fine but this time had the cord wrapped around its neck. Miladis lost some amniotic fluid but nothing that harmed the baby. The doctor didn’t know what the water could have been that she lost.

Finally last Sunday, Miguel shows up at the house in the morning. This time for real she is in labor. As Haille and I were to deliver the baby, we threw some things together, hopped on our bikes and sped over. Baby number 9 were thinking is going to come pretty quickly.

But, we waited. And waited. And waited. Still no baby! By this time Miladys (who is also a midwife) was starting to get a bit nervous thinking maybe there is a problem. Luckily some EMT’s from Denmark were in town so I called them over to just check on things and advise us on whether or not we should go to the hospital. Well, they said we should.

The ambulance was called. Miladis was off and the rest of us were to find a taxi and follow behind. We met them at a private hospital (since the public one is basically worthless) only to find out they would charge about $1,500. We put her back in the ambulance (remember having constant contractions this entire time) and the rest of us flagged down another taxi. Off to another private hospital. Luckily they charge $200 for a normal birth.

Miladis is transferred into a room to wait until its time to deliver! We were able to be with her. This was not the state I enjoyed to see her in. Her contractions got more and more intense. As they are getting closer and closer together I can tell she cant take it anymore. During one contraction she yells “Catalina!” Gosh, did my heart just about die.

Finally its time! She is carted away and we wait. Not 20 minutes goes by and we hear crying in the hallway. He is born! A new child of God enters our world at 7:40 pm. The next morning Haille and I go back to the hospital to take mom and baby home. Unfortunately we had to wait longer. Miladis was losing too many blood clots for her to be safe to go home. The nurse said that if she had had her baby at home, she might not have made it. (This was Miladis first birth in a hospital)

Finally they say we can leave. Once we arrive back at the house, everyone wants to see and touch the baby. The youngest, Alyson, notices a change in her mom immediately. Jealousy ensues quickly.

After all the drama and scares, everyone is home safe and sound.

Here are a few pics of this little bundle of joy. 

Alex having a cigarette to calm down

Just minutes old!

Going to see the baby!

Alex guarding the door to make sure no one steals his baby

He's just a little hunny!

Apparently this outfit doesnt fit

Beautiful momma!

Everyone wants to see the baby!

The time I officiated a wedding

So I get a message:

“…we talked about this and both agreed…we kind of want to redo the ceremony with all our friends and family....because you know us both and are very special to us we wanted to ask you if you wanted to do our ceremony?”

My response… What? How? What do you mean?

So after contemplating my fear of public speaking I said yes. Lis, (from Holland) a very good friend of mine whom I met in Honduras and Levi, (Honduran) whom I have known for years from here in Honduras, were to get married.

The day arrived but I really wasn’t that nervous. Inside, maybe I was, but I had a task to do and that’s all I could focus on. So we spent the morning decorating, getting ready and helping Lis with her final touches. 

Family and friends began to arrive. All of a sudden something came over me and I became the wedding planner, coordinator and officiate. Music was in order, first look pictures were taken, guests were seated and the couple walked in. We began. 

 It began with …“Welcome and Bienvenidos a todos que han venido hoy. Good afternoon, Buenas tardes, amigos, familia, from all parts of the world.”

And ended “With the ALMIGHTY power vested in me, Catalina from El Porvenir, I now pronounce you husband and wife, ya puede besar a la novia!”

Telling the story of how the two met

Saying vows

 About to place the rings

New married couple!

Reception

First dance...Bachata of course!

 Just playing MC for the night

If there was one thing to take away from this wedding it would be what I learned from Lis. I know where Levi comes from and I know where Lis comes from. I know their backgrounds and I now know the trueness of their hearts. This is true love. To be completely honest, this wedding was one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever seen. No, not because of the extravagant venue (it was in a hotel conference room). Not because of the thousands of dollars it cost for her wedding dress (she made it by hand from fabric bought at the local store). Not for the wedding planner or event rental/decoration company (we spent the morning hanging streamers and hand-made origami birds). Not even for a hair and makeup appointment (we did it for her in about 15 minutes before walking into the ceremony). No, it was not for any of this. What was prevalent the entire day was that none of this mattered. All she cared about was seeing her family and his family together, celebrating this special day. She didn’t need to prove anything. She didn’t even care if his family came in jeans because they couldn’t afford anything nicer. What mattered was that her and Levi were getting married and that was being honored in front of the ones she loves.

I felt like she was teaching me a lesson. Reminding me of God’s love for me. That he loves me unconditionally. No matter what happens. No matter my past. That is what she was showing. She didn’t even know it.

So I just want to say thank you Lis. Thank you for showing and reminding me that love can be true. That it’s out there. Sometimes being a missionary is hard. Some days all you can think about is “well what if I never find anyone” or “if I never came on the mission field, maybe id be married with kids like all my other friends” or the worst yet… “I could never marry someone who doesn’t have money”. But it doesn’t matter. None of that matters. I know in my heart that doesn’t matter I just needed that reminder. God’s timing is perfect and in that I am at peace. As I said in the wedding “May you find peace in knowing that no matter what happens, by holding on to each other things will always work out for the best. May your hearts be one and in that you have everything.”

Thank you Lis.

So these past few months...

I do believe I am the worst blogger there is. Yep. Its true. Mom told me to write a blog so here it goes:

These past few months have been so full. Full of beach play days with the kids, family visits, tutoring, visiting sponsored kids, preparing to move houses, working with mission teams, and everything else under the sun. 

Here's a few pics so you can "see" it all!

In March, HCA dug the bottom half for the bathrooms on the Women and Children Center. 

 In March, we took a few kids to the Jungle where we were able to spend the day overlooking an amazing mountain side and zip-lining. The above pic is of me jumping from that rock into the river!

Here's all the kids resting on the rock

Some of the kids from our Sunday School class with their mother and I!

 For my birthday we celebrated with dinner out on the town and a typical latino photo shoot...no smiles and all.

Haille arrived in June! Haille was a missionary in Nicaragua and will now be working and living with me full time! I am so excited to have her, to see how God will use her and us together to further this ministry!

 After long hours, lots of decision making and waiting, Haille and I finally moved into our new house! We believe this is just one step forward into blessing Finding Hope and what is all to come! We have had many visitors come by to see the new remodeled house, bring us housewarming gifts like mangos and pineapples, and tell us they are there if we ever need anything. Having a community who supports and backs you, loves you, and truly is looking out for you, is the biggest blessing of all. 

Oh, this hair.

Hand washing clothes at our new house...see our visitor in the background?

Jemi and Ever 

In June, Haille and I helped HCA build 4 local bathrooms in town. Here is the grandmother, Dory and little Adolfito who were one of the families who got their first bathroom and shower!

Sweet, sweet Hexyl who is from another family recipient of the bathrooms

Kids following me all day, everyday

Babysitting!

Monthly visit to see the Escobar kids in Jutiapa...this was Haille's first time meeting them!

I am so overly excited for the future of Finding Hope and this ministry. Having Haille jump on board and give her heart 100% to these kids, families and this town is everything I could have asked for. I believe God has her here to do wonderful things. We are excited to move forward with the construction and are praying for the right people to come along and join us in this beautiful future! After overcoming a few obstacles, learning to let some people out of our lives who dont belong, and believing fully and completely in Him, we believe great things are to come. Please join us in prayer that this ministry is to His glory and that everything we do is to His name. 

Rebeccas baby

In my last blog, I talked about being overwhelmed. About needing time to myself. How I felt like I couldn’t help everyone that needed something from me. I was feeling stretched to my limits. Well, a lot of this had to do with school starting. School uniforms and school supplies were being bought, students were registering in classes, and everything else in between had been going on. For several kids in town, who are part of my sponsorship program, I was able to buy or have donated what they needed to start classes on time. Everything from shoes, notebooks, backpacks, uniforms and pencils. Its safe to say the owner was very happy for my business that day.

One family, who is very dear to me, is Rebecca and her 4 kids. Rebecca, 25 years old, is a single mother (father in and out of the picture) trying to “raise” and “support” her children, all under the age of 8. Rebecca has a few personal issues of her own which makes it hard for her to be a “good” mother. Brayan, her 8 year old son, was in Kinder with me 3 years ago, where I first met Rebecca and the family. I met her youngest daughter Juliana (who was just one month old) my first week ever in Honduras. I love seeing the kids grow up, especially in their first years, where they change the most. With seeing them grow up, also comes a deep emotional connection.

As school was starting, I made my way to Rebeccas house to check if she would send her kids to school this year. (Last year was one excuse after another). She said yes but that her twins, Andrea and Royle didn’t have birth certificates and without them, the couldn’t go. Why one would wait 7 years to get birth certificates for their kids, I will never understand. “Well, lets get them then” I said, not knowing what I was getting myself into. So we began our forever – almost impossible adventure of getting birth certificates. (read about this process in a blog I posted 3 years ago http://katlyninhonduras.blogspot.com/2011/06/its-like-were-in-nyc.html its after the tarantula story)

To make a long story short, one morning Rebecca shows up at my house. She shows me the papers and copies she was able to gather and asks me to keep them so they wouldn’t get lost. We start talking about other things like how things are at home, her nonexistent boyfriend and her pregnancy, then she pauses… “Catalina, would you like to have my baby?”

Would I like to have her unborn baby? My throat closes up and Im speechless. She continues…”Because this is my 5^th child, I don’t work and I already have 4 children. I came to ask you because I don’t know anyone else to ask.

I ended up telling her that I would love to take her baby but that I don’t have a stable job or home. I explained to her that I would help take care of the baby whenever she needed me and help with food/medicine/whatever else, until she found a place for the baby. I would help her through this process as well as to look for an orphanage or another option.

So we did. We visited an childrens home and talked about options. I gave her advice as best I could but ultimately the final decision was hers. Then the day came. Friday, March 7^th, I get a call at 4 am in the morning, “Catalina, Im in labor” I rush to Miladys house where Rebecca had planned to give a home birth. 

With pajamas still on and camera ready to roll, we waited. And waited and waited. Finally 11:30 am came around and Miladys recommended we go to the hospital in case there was a complication. Rebecca was against the idea for fear of the hospital (here I would be too, I don’t blame her)

We flagged down a taxi. Already two people in it and Rebecca, myself and her cousin, Samantha were still to get in. No big deal. Rebecca gets in the front seat and the taxi driver asks if her water will break on his seat…haha….so the four of us get in the backseat piled like little kids. On the way to La Ceiba, Rebecca continues her contractions. Seems like the taxi ride is making them come faster. All I can think about is the internet article Allison read about “How to give birth in a taxi” and just hoping that doesn’t happen.

We first arrive to get an ultrasound to make sure the baby is okay. The technician is on lunch break, of course. She comes back and everything shows up fine. It’s a baby boy! We pay the lady and grab a taxi to head to the hospital. Rebeccas contractions are getting worse. First, though, we had to stop by a farmacy and pick up nailpolish remover (apparently if a C-section is necessary you cant have nail polish on). We finally get to the emergency room and go in. No one is there to greet us or tell us where to go. Rebecca has a strong contraction so she stops and I go ahead to figure out where to go. Finally. Rebecca comes over and sits down in a chair where a doctor begins to attend to her. I was told I needed to go register her. With her id number just written down on a piece of paper I go to the register window to wait in line. In front of me is a baby with a broken wrist and a makeshift cast who just vomited all over the floor. Behind me is a construction worker who looks like he cut half his hand with a machete and blood is dripping everywhere. But there we all were, waiting in line to register before being attended too. That’s finished and I go back to the nurse and Rebecca. Samantha is on the floor on her hands and knees taking off Rebeccas nail polish as she is contracting in the chair. The nurse gives me a list of supplies I have to go buy. The hospital doesn’t have anything there, you have to go outside to a little hut and buy the gloves, needles, test tubes, IVs and whatever else. Once that is done I make my way through construction tape in the hospital to find labor and delivery. Found! Rebecca is admitted. Now were given her blood sample to take to the lab.

About 3 hours later we try to investigate Rebeccas situation. No one came out to tell us she had given birth or that it was a good delivery or anything. We caught her being transferred to recovery, wheeling across the construction site hospital.

Here is where all the women stay overnight. In the same bed as their baby. We didn’t know we were supposed to bring our own sheets for Rebecca so she slept on the plastic mattress. See that window in the back? Its broken, leading to the outside where its pouring down rain.

Here he is 18 days old! I got the entire morning to love this little guy J

As for now, Rebecca has a great opportunity working for an extended family member. She cleans and cooks for distant cousins and is given a room for her and her kids. She no longer has to live in a makeshift house of wood and tarp and worry about paying her $15 monthly rent. Being in this new location, also gives her the benefits of having other people around to help with her new baby. Samantha, has said she would like to take care of the baby as well. For now, this seems like a good solution. I will also be around to check on the kids and make sure things are running like they should. Please keep Rebecca and her family in your prayers. She believes in some weird things in regards to evil spirits that can harm her baby. Unfortunately this is way too common here in El Porvenir, even affecting the doctors in terms of prescribing medicine (ex. cant take until after the full moon). Please pray that they will look to the Lord in times like this. Please pray that she finds her worth as a mother and her importance in her kids lives.