By my third day here, I could already see the beginning of a Chacos (sandal) tan line. Now, more than a week has passed and my feet look somewhat like a checkerboard. That just goes sto show how warm and sunny my days have been here.
I arrived on Friday, January 16th, minus one of my suitcases, which was thankfully returned to me four days later, just in time to prevent me from having to go clothes shopping in a tiny town in a third-world country. The ride to Emmanuel was a bit crazy to say the least. There are pretty much no rules when it comes to driving here. Pass when there's nothing coming. Go as fast as you want to. And the most important, blow your horn continuously at anything that threatens to get in your way. The roads were curvy, hilly, and seemed to have been paved back in the Middle Ages, but that is still a vast improvement over the dirt roads that we came to later.
Orphanage Emmanuel is in the small town of Guiamaca, Honduras, which is surrounded by mountains (as is the airport in Tegucigalpa, which has one of the shortest runways I've ever seen... be warned that the landing is a bit abrupt). It is absolutely one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The volunteer house that I share with three other young women is on a small hill, and if we time it right, we can watch the sun set behind the mountains, with Emmanuel's church steeple in the foreground.
So far my jobs here have included taking toddlers for walks to see the caballos (horses), which turned out to be quite sad when they realized we weren't actually riding the horses, translating (somewhat poorly) for doctors in the clinic, delivering letters and packages to the kids, giving hugs, and of course, lots of playing! When the kids start back to school in mid-February, I'll have more defined jobs, including working in the clinic and assisting in the dental clinic. For now though, my focus is on getting to know the over 400 kids that live here.
My Spanish is improving daily (thank goodness). I learned how to make tortillas, which despite what the teenage girls teaching me said, was very difficult at first. I did finally get the hang of it! I have journeyed into our little town (in groups and also in the back of a truck) for grocery shopping (even though I eat most meals with the kids) and even a little souvenir shopping. My favorite purchase so far is a handmade hammock! I've been to a third-world hospital (not for myself) to take a little boy to get a cast put on his broken leg. Surprisingly it wasn't too bad. I did learn that my clinic job entails me driving kids to the hospital, which, with the lack of road rules in Honduras, should be very interesting ;)
From the moment I drove the gates of Emmanuel, I felt the peaceful feeling that exists here constantly, even amidst the shouts of children playing. God has already been working on me and teaching me more about Himself through this incredible place. I am still so amazed that He has brought me here and blessed me with this opportunity.
