Independence Day, Muddy Soccer, Pinatas, and all the neighborhood Children

So this past Thursday was Independence day here in Honduras. So the girls didn't have school. We carried all of the girls into La Esperanza for the parade, which they loved! Later that day we did one of their favorite things... movie night (which normally happens on Fridays but heck, it was Independence Day)! Friday the girls have half a day of school and since they didn't go Thursday we figured no reason in half a day Friday (I know, we are too gracious). So Friday we had a huge chores day. We deep cleaned the kitchen, Mrs. Pam's kitchen, the barn, etc. By the end of the day I was exhausted and had another movie night to look forward to! woo hoo! Saturday we decided to go to the soccer fields. That morning the judges showed up with a pinata and candy so we decided to take that with us. Me and some of the girls walked down the neighborhood roads by the soccer field and invited people to come play soccer (with 23 girls you don't really need any extras to play but its outreach right?) and enjoy the pinata. Turned out to be an awesome afternoon of funny events including me shin deep in mud. The roads drain really well here for how much it rains but I found out where it all goes... The soccer field! Back at the farm I got a lesson in the pila. The girls hand wash their clothes in what is called a pila. It is an outside cement contraption that holds clean running water and gives you like a wash board to scrub your clothes and rinse them which takes the dirty water down a pipe and away. My tennis shoes and I were introduced to the pila. After a while of instruction from the girls I began scrubbing. Eventually I got bumped out of the way and the girls went to work. Needless to say, my shoes look good as new and I feel slightly more domesticated. This was only my first home-ec course of the weekend. My addictions came to light when the electricity went out for over 24 hours and I was without coffee. The girls pull down this tiny cloth strainer, heat up some water, and begin to teach me how to make coffee "the old fashioned" way... I was amazed! I could learn a lot from these girls (isn't that how it usually goes?)

AP
John 3:30

"I'm never having kids"

Growing up I always told my parents "I'm NEVER having kids." They always smile and chuckle and say, "yes, you will." I always respond with some facial expression that says "yea right! You'll see."

Now I find myself setting my alarm to make sure girls are up and getting showered, making sure girls get their clothes washed, watching over girls at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, making sure chores get done, showers get taken, hearing "Mrs. Amanda" 800,000 times a day (definitely not complaining about this one :)), being the referee to some of the most bizarre arguments, getting in the word with the girls, discipline, and numerous other things.  

All that being said, although I am not these girls mother in no way, I am definitely responsible for them as a caretaker! OH MY GOSH! Sometimes I think that God has a sense of humor and thinks it will be funny to do things just because we say we never would. On the other hand, I think He does it because He knows the only one who will receive glory is HIMSELF! The people in my life know that being a "caretaker" of children isn't about me, and therefore only He could be looked at and praised. I am thankful for this in my life. That the worship points back to him always and He doesn't allow me to be tempted to steal His glory.

So there has been a lot of discipline going on this week at the farm. With 23 girls it will always feel like someone is getting in trouble (shoot, with 3 kids in my family I'm sure my parents always felt like someone was getting into trouble). At some point this week I got pretty frustrated about it and had to get quiet by myself. I started listening to worship music in my room. An old Hank Murphy song came on called "To follow you." It talked about wanting to be where God wants you. One of the lines in the song said, "to go where you are needed (talking about God sending us where He is needed)." It hit me straight in the stomach. It was like God said, "Amanda, I have you right where you are because I am needed there. Not because those girls are already perfect but because I need you to live as Christ right there in front of them, in the same house as them, 24/7, so they may have an example of a woman of Christ." WOAH! Thank you Jesus for sanctifying me, growing me, and stretching me. To not stop at the limits I set for myself (not having kids) but put me in situations that you must be my strength (caretaker of 23 girls).

AP
John 3:30

SURVIVOR: HONDURAS

This week Mrs. Pam, Ben, and I have had a running joke. The joke is that if America decided to do a reality TV show on the farm it would be a hit! This all started earlier this week when Mrs. Pam was gone from the farm getting her passport from the capitol. It felt like every other second Ben or I was calling her and the other was yelling let me talk to her as well. As Ben passes me the phone, Mrs. Pam says to me, “Hey we could be on a reality tv show. We wouldn’t even have to fake anything. We have enough drama and interesting things happen to keep people watching for sure.” Ever since then, every time something happens one of us says, “add that to the tv show.” Mrs. Pam even named it! SURVIVORS: HONDURAS. Once you start pointing out all of the ridiculous, hysterical, and off the wall things that happen, you begin to realize just how often these things occur. From Mrs. Pam receiving an armadillo shell on a bright yellow string to hang on her front porch from one of her watchmen workers for her birthday to having the “Puberty speech” with 23 girls, from running home from school down the hills in the flooding rain to having birthday cake by candle light because the electricity had been out for almost 24 hours. I mean, ok maybe some of this stuff isn’t exactly entertaining for everyone but when we are in the midst of it all, it just seems hysterical and really makes us laugh.

Seeing as how I don’t have any children, I often wonder now how my parents didn’t just start busting out laughing when me and my siblings were in arguments. Children tell on each other over some of the silliest things. I have to hold back my laughter so many times when the girls come to tell on each other… “She looked at my panties!” (well, you shouldn’t have been jumping on the trampoline in a dress) How do you not laugh at that!?!? I am truly learning so much about grace and how to discipline girls not based on emotion but taking the time to make sure they understand the situation and why they are being disciplined so that it doesn’t continue to happen. God is growing and stretching me and He is good!

Saturday, by the grace of God, Mrs. Pam and I both learned how to jump start a vehicle. Mrs. Pam and one of the girls had a birthday this week so we were going to town for a pizza party (Ben was meeting us there). We all get in the bus and the battery was dead. After a few phone calls to check ourselves on what we thought we knew about jumping off a vehicle so that we didn’t cause permanent damage, we were successful in bringing the bus back to life, and both felt very empowered! GIRL POWER (ok the people I called were guys but that doesn’t count)! I would not like to know what it is like to tell 23 girls all dressed up sitting on a bus that the plans for the day were ruined based off of our lack of knowledge on vehicles. Thank you Jesus!

So we look forward to another productive week through the problem shooting, trials, and dramas at the farm on the newest reality show that happens to be my life, SURVIVORS: HONDURAS! (I think this week Mrs. Pam is teaching me to drive a stick shift, pray for us!) To God be the glory!

AP