Random Saturday, Episode 1

Mist in the morning at the school..

Well it's been a good day here at the school. Hopefully the the first in a series of many random get stuff done days.. I've had the place to myself and got a lot of marking done, called some of you guys... Blake too bad we got cut off, IKEA has bad reception, have a Swedish meatball for me. :) The photo above is of our basketball court early in the morning this week.

..and I've even been fixing up the place too.. Jorge (Horhe), Enoc and I made a bridge component for the ropes course, I think Ken calls it the Train Track element. It took two days, and some running around town looking for more supplies, but we got it done. :) Next up a circular floating staircase. Sweet.

Enoc and Jorge

So I'm heading out for dinner up at the camp with the girls.. new girl Megan is cooking us dinner! Amazing. That frees me up even more to do some of those important things you never have time for.. like uploading a video of Amanda freaking out after Megan got swept into the waterfall. Amanda's the young one of the group, easily ruffled.

Cliff jumping and Hot Springs: Who needs a theme park?

View from the cliffs..

So, apparently Honduras is amazing. We just had a great weekend a within hours from where we live, all the while thinking.. do we really live here?

Saturday, Ken, myself and Jorge took Ken's kids and some american high school guys out to do some repelling down a waterfall. Pretty amazing stuff. Scenery was great, the younger kids we took down the jungle path off to the side, but it still required a harness and gear to get up and down the rock, slippery often vertical path. A great starter climb for the kids, and good fun on the falls for the more experienced. The guys have all the pictures of the cliff, but so for now here's just two of the area leading up to the giant falls.
Picturesque river leading up to the cliffs.

Next, on Sunday, our house, Noel, Katharine, Amanda and myself went on a road trip with Ken's family and the guys to the Hot Springs, a couple hours away. Lucky we prayed before the road trip started because one thing after another went almost horribly wrong.

(above, to get to the Springs you need to pass through a cave. At points you're surrounded by steam and can't see a thing)

First, Katharine's front tire almost fell off while we were going down the winding mountain road. Seems the guys who rotated her tires didn't thought tightening the lug nuts by hand was a enough. The hot springs themselves were pretty epic; a river with multiple waterfalls to climb over, a set of falls to climb behind, rapids to float through, a cliff to dive off, and small little pools of really hot water to sit in.

The group picking their way towards the main rocky beach..

Next blunders on the list; while underneath one of the falls, Megan got swept out and Amanda panicked. Got that on video. Next, Noel swims with the current. 'Buddy you're too close to the falls' Noel: 'It's okay I know, .. I know.. .I thought knew!' Noel's head dissapears over the falls. I hugged a couple rocks too right and got some bruises but the Gold medal goes to Amanda for stepping in boiling hot pool and burning both feet. We took care of her and carried her limping to the car, put her feet in a cooler of water the whole way home and she's doing all right today. Good thing we all know the doctor's cell numbers here and they were waiting for us at the hospital when we drove up.

The four of us climbing under the waterfall..

So that's that. Honduras is amazing. I'd write more but I'm going to post up some pictures. If you want a more detailed read, I refer you to Katharine the very English girl's blog, who is currently boasting 15 pictures of the weekend fun.. She has a better camera than me too. :) Amanda and Noel wrote too, we may be blogging all at the same moment :)

Vacation Done, Back in Honduras

Well I've been back here in Sigua a couple days with Amanda and Katherine, roommate Noel comes back anytime today and we start school in tomorrow. A cold front came down on central america the last week, so it's been rainy and cold here at the start of the year.. but now it's blue sky and sun as I type from the table at our school's little store/cafeteria, and my laundry is drying in our newly fixed dryer (thanks Amanda's Dad) . Tomorrow there will be kids crowding this wooden porch, calling to Dona Kathy for a Pepsi or an enchilada... but for now it's calm. :)

And the rainy days did give us some time to get me some time to sort through trip pictures, play cards, watch movies and settle back into Honduran life.. I put some links on the side bar <--- to Katherine's and Noel's blog, they write more than me and have many of the photos that I've missed puting online.. more to come .. but I have to go fix Amanda's computer and move furniture :)

Back from 12,000 feet

Hi everyone, today I`m back in San Jose today after 3 days climbing Mt. Chirripo in southern Costa Rica. It was an epic trip... and as I hoped I had a great time and found purpose and meaning in the adventure; I had long periods alone with the world and me, times where the all sound would stop and you could feel God`s spirit in the air, there was struggle at keeping warm during the cold nights and awe at the stars and the sunrise during our 3am final ascent to the summit. I am as thankful for the hours alone through much of the initial ascent (10 hours) as I am for the friendships and comraderie I found at the top.

I`m trying to summarize what I`m coming away with.. no large stone tablets this time, no massive command.. but definitely the knowledge that wherever I go, I am not alone. God provided on the trip in a hundred small but crucial ways that saved my butt, and a lot of the time that came through people being brought into the story.

I need my time alone.. God whispers in the clouds, I look back and see things more clearly, plans start forming in my head.. but this trip I kept hearing and feeling the importance of relationship. I say time alone but what I really mean is time with God.. Father Spirit Son.. all three of them. Time just talking and listening and really hearing the still quiet voice telling you you are loved, that you are worthy. Everything else flows from knowing that.

It must have been like that when Jesus walked around on the dirt roads. 3 years in ministry and He put most of his energy into 12 friends. Doesn`t seem like the most efficient way to go about things, but whoever said God wanted to be efficient? On the mountain I read that it must have been thrilling to have Him there, watching him walk past every social barrier and telling people they were worthy and loved. I read that basically, people are wired to hear from things outside themselves that they are valuable, and I find that to be true.

I do just want people to like me. Which is good because there is lots to do and none of it will happen without or mean much without friendships, brothers, sisters, family to build and share it with. But to really find and hear and feel love that lasts, that satisfies, I have to get away, climb a mountain, get lost at sea, maybe next I`ll drive into the desert to leave the other voices behind; listen to the whisper, feel the warmth in the sun, walk with Christ as we kick the dirt of our sandals, laugh, and hear him call me by name and say, follow me.

Happy New Year from Central America everyone,
lots of faith, hope and love to you for the new year.

Mark