Day 2: Sindy's Birthday and Boat Ride

So, I think I am off to a pretty good start here in Honduras.

Today, my first day at the school was one of the litle kindergartners birthday! Her name is Sindy and she's one fo the children that my church sponsor through a scholarship program. She is absolutely precious and I feel in love with her instantly. It was the first time her family had ever been able to celebrate her birthday, which I think has a large part to do with the school adn the wonderful family in America that is sponsoring Sindy's education. She is so eager to learn and has the most wonderful (loud little voice I have ever heard. I want to pack her up and take her with me and I know I'll have to fight the urge to do that in 5 months or so.





So we celebrate Sindy's birthday with cakes, loads of presents from the other kids and PEPSI! SODA! Oh, sweet heaven, God indeed is here with me.

After school gets out, around 2, Fito tells me that one of the girls parents wants to take us to the lake to show us how grateful he is for our work. It's Day 2, and I'm already being rewarded for my effort of getting into a plane, eating copious amounts of food, and celebrating a birthday. You could easily say I am getting spoiled very fast.

So, we travel to Karroll's house, climb in the back of her dad's pick up, and set on our way. Our adventure begins by travelling down a bumpy dirt road (just like the one to the Irwin household) for 30 minutes. In America, I wouldn't have tolerated this, but it's Honduras, the second poorest nation in the world, and I'm game for anything. We pick up the motor for the boat along with some wooden paddles and a cooler for the fish we are sure to catch, and that gets squeezed in the back of the pick up with me, Jennifer, Karroll, Vicki and Sol. (Sully and Celeste, my two other roommates were unable to come) Then we travel another 30 minutes down the road to pick up the boat (and snacks, thankfully!). We then reach the lake, and the weather is looking foreboding.

We all squeeze into the boat and travel for about 5 minutes downstream with Karroll telling us how beautiful what we're going to see is when the engine suddenly overheats. We are now trapped, floating downstream with unpromising weather up ahead. The men bust out their paddles and begin the slow torturous process of trying to paddle upstream.

We make about 100 feet in 5 minutes.

Then it starts raining.

I look at Jennifer and say that this is a pulpit story from Johnny Johnson if I ever saw one.

Finally after 10 minutes of not really accomplishing much, a boat (likely the only boat on the lake since there was only one other truck parked at the lot) passes by. The girls put on their saddest, most pitiful faces and they graciously offer to tow us in.

We climb once again in the truck to travel back along the rickety dirt road, this time in the rain.

Sully and Celeste, hear the story and tell me, laughing and lovingly, "WELCOME TO HONDURAS!!!!"