All was normal on Friday, October 30th. Our missionary community was going to do a treat exchange that night between all 4 rooms. My roommates, Britney and Megan, and I were going to make cinnamon doughnut holes while the other rooms were making (or buying) another tasty treat for us. After dinner, our creativity was tested when we were highly encouraged to change into our costumes and my roommate Britney had an idea for a group costume between the 3 of us, so I was in luck. I just put on my PJs, as did Megan, and Britney put on a grout outfit and put some makeup on her face that made her look like a rat. When the time came to share costumes and exchange treats, we invited the rest of the missionaries into our room and got into position. They walked in, Megan and I gave them their treat, and Britney jumped out from under a blanket to scare us. Megan and I quickly reacted and grabbed a Sarita container and broomstick to try to catch the rat. After the missionaries reacted, Megan said, “Our group costume is the rat that lives behind the stove and the missionaries that try to catch it” because yes, there is a rat in our house somewhere and yes, we are trying to catch it with a Sarita container (which is just a half gallon container that is used for ice cream here). Everyone laughed, had some doughnut holes, and we quickly moved on. The boys had all dressed up in coats and masks and had grabbed some instruments from our bodega (storage room) to be some sort of band while some of the girls had dressed up as cooking nuns by placing a towel on their heads and putting on an apron and another person had dressed up as Mother Teresa by using her bedsheets as her habit. In other words, our creativity was really tested, but it was such a great way to bond and do something fun together.
The next day was also as normal as any day at the Finca can be. We had one of the girls over to help us with lunch, I got to spend some time doing chores, and I got to around to the different houses. Next day was the same deal, except for some rain. The next morning was strange since we prayed morning prayer in our house and were then told that the rain was a tropical storm that could become a hurricane. I was a bit scared since I had never lived through a hurricane and did not know what to expect, but I trusted Megan when she told us not to freak out. She told us to not be surprised if we heard any of the kids or tías speaking about a hurricane, which I did hear when I went to visit some of the girls later on that day.
Lunch rolled around and the rain got harder. Megan then informed us that the storm had turned into a hurricane and that there was a small chance that we would need to evacuate later. Still nothing was 100% for sure, but we at least needed a mental list of what we would take with us. At this point, I felt kind of useless since I did not know what I needed to do in the house or at the Finca to be of use. It seems to me that the other buds (new missionaries) felt the same way for we just sat around the living room table and started playing 5-person Spades, the card game. Adam came in a few moments later and told us that the hurricane had become a Category 4 hurricane and that the older girls were certain we were going to evacuate since they had all of their clothes laid out on the table and ready to pack. Surely enough, Megan came in a bit later and told us that we needed to get a bag ready with 2 outfits, our passports, a plate, cup, fork and spoon, and toothpaste/toothbrush ready because they were going to be taking our things to the place where we would eventually be evacuating to. We got our things ready, but still, no one had said that were evacuating and I must admit, I was still hoping we would not have to. But alas, dinner came around and we continued our Monday night with community night as we do every week. It was a few moments after we had finished a fun charades game that we got the message telling us that we would be leaving shortly.
We closed all our windows, shut off the water, turned off the fridge, unplugged all the outlets, put some books on higher shelves in case of flooding, and then we waited. They came to pick us up in the busito and we crammed into the back and set off to the formation house where we would be staying at around 9:45pm. I think this was the scariest part for me because evacuating at night during a storm in an unsafe foreign country is not exactly ideal. Yet, we prayed together on our way to the evacuation center and trusted that Jesus would keep us all safe and would be the strength that all those affected by the hurricane worse than us needed. We arrived at our destination at around 11:30pm because we had made some stops along the way since we were splitting off into 2 groups, girls at one place and boys and missionaries at another. The whole night was a blur, but we arrived at the formation house and kind of took in our surroundings before going to sleep.
The next morning, we woke up later than usual, at around 6:30am, and began our day with the boys. Up to this point, I had been avoiding interactions with the boys because, if I am being honest, they scared me. Yes, they are just kids, but still, I was scared of them. Right away, I was able to see that there was not much to be scared about. They were loud, as kids are, and wanted a lot of attention, as kids do, but they were loving kids who just wanted to have a fun time during an uncertain situation that I am not sure they fully understood. We spent hours—and by hours, I mean all day—trying to entertain them with card games and Rummikub and puzzles. They had so much energy and never tired. I, on the other hand, would sneak away every now and then to get some alone time and take a quick nap. I enjoyed my time with the boys though because it was an opportunity the Lord was giving me to get to know them and their personalities a bit better.
We had no idea what was happening with the hurricane at this point, but Megan soon informed us that the worst of the hurricane was coming on Wednesday and we would likely be going back to the Finca on Friday. Every day at the formation center felt longer than the last with the power going on out on Wednesday evening and the water going out on Thursday morning. The boys kept on wanting to play games and so we played the same games over and over. The smell of the bathrooms and couches were wrank and I was so happy to be leaving Casa Betania forever.
Friday was a glorious day, for we were finally going home. We returned to the Finca right before lunch and started cleaning the house right away. There was no damage, but there was a lot of dirt everywhere and a few trees had fallen around the Finca. We each spent at least an hour cleaning a communal part of our house and started cleaning our personal belongings as well. It was a tiring process so when I needed a little break, I went to walk around the Finca to see some of the kids since I had not seen them since Monday before the evacuation. I saw some of the little kids playing and running around while others were raking. I walked around to see the campo and the church and the school. Then I walked past the house with the older girls and as I was walking down the path one of the girls went to the doorway and said, “Alicia!” and ran towards me to give me a hug. I had not realized how much I had missed my interactions with all the girls until this moment. It was great to see that I had started to form a relationship with the kids and that they were excited to be back at the Finca as well. For many of them, it had been the first time leaving the Farm since the pandemic hit in March so it was a good change in scenery for them and they enjoyed their time away, which I was happy to hear about.
The next week was a started to feel like normal once we had cleaned and gotten back to our regular schedule. The buds and I all got our new jobs for the year since that was something that we were going to do during the week of Hurricane Eta, but it got postponed for obvious reasons. So that week we introduced our new roles at the Farm to the entire community and started working on our respective jobs. For those of you wondering, I am in charge of Special Education for Colegio (7th-9th grade), I am the School Communications Liaison, 3rd Grade English Teacher, PAVI Aydante, PAVI Helper (Tutor), Catechist, and I help lead a small faith sharing group on Wednesdays with the older girls called Tema. In other words, I am going to be busy, yet I am so excited to officially start my roles here after being at the Finca for about 6 weeks. Later on that week, I started hearing talk about another hurricane, but I put it aside because I did not want to think about it.
That week was also a bit strange because 2 of our missionaries, Melissa and Ryan, were leaving to the States since they had completed their time at the Farm after being here for over a year. Everything seemed to be blurring together and there was a lot to process from new jobs, to another transition in the community, to another hurricane coming, and more. Later on in the week, around Thursday, we were told about the new hurricane that was projected to hit on Sunday and how we would maybe have to evacuate again because this hurricane seemed like it would be worse than the last. We continued with our goodbye activities for Melissa and Ryan and continued working on our jobs. There was no rain and not even a cloud in sight, so it was hard to believe that another storm was heading our way. Yet the Hondurans were sure we were leaving and they were preparing by washing all their clothes before the rain hit and preparing bags with food and other essential items we would need before evacuating. Sunday rolled around and Melissa and Ryan left in the early morning. They had both made my transition to the Finca easier than I was expecting it to be since they are very kind and always willing to help so it was a sad parting. Though we only lived together for about 6 weeks, it was still hard to see them leave, yet I was very happy that they would be reunited with their families again and that they were getting out of Honduras before Hurricane Iota hit.
There was still no rain and I was again hopeful that the storm would not actually hit, yet the next morning came around and we were told we would evacuate before noon to take all the necessary precautions. To say I was upset would be an understatement, yet it had to be done for our own safety and that of the kids. This time, I knew what needed to be packed and how I could help prepare for the evacuation. Since were splitting into two groups again, I went around to all the girls and said my goodbyes since I was going to miss them no matter how short our evacuation was. We got our bags ready and they came to pick us up.
We climbed into the trunk of the Tundra and held on to the poles so we wouldn’t fall out and took off right as it started to rain. We were quite a sight: just 6 Americans standing in the trunk of a truck with our raincoats on while getting rained on. Then as we were leaving the Finca, I was laughing because some of the missionaries were trying to get under the tarp that was covering all our belongings and food and they were struggling a lot. They were sitting on our tambos of water and climbing over backpacks and standing in weird positions. Again, we were quite a sight. I was not paying attention to the road in front of me and so I got wacked in the face about 4 times with some tree branches and I may or may not have peed myself a bit. At this point, I just thought, “This is not a great start to our evacuation.”
Lucky for me, the evacuation was similar to last time. We played card games, I took some naps, the water and power were out basically the whole time, and I got to bond with the boys a bit more. There were moments while we were evacuated where I was better able to appreciate the boys and was even able to deepen my relationship with some of them. It was good, yet we were again told that there was possibly another hurricane coming. I am serious. I cannot make these things up. They had said that after Hurricane Iota, the current hurricane, there was Tropical Storm Kappa that was supposed to hit on the following Monday. Man, there is something about Mondays here. But I was hopeful that we would not have to evacuate a third time or that we would have to stay basically a whole other week to wait for the following hurricane because after Tuesday, the sky had cleared up quite a bit and there did not seem to be any more rain coming. The water and power even came back, which to me seemed like great news since it meant that the storm had likely passed us by.
On Wednesday morning when the buds and I were making flour tortillas and preparing the chicken for some chicken tacos, Megan walked/ran into the kitchen saying, “¡Nos vamos hoy después del almuerzo!” meaning, “We’re leaving today after lunch!” and we lost it. Georgi even yelled, “YESSSS! I LOVE GOD!” We finished our cooking, we got our bags ready, we ate, and then we waited to be picked up. After about an hour and a half of waiting and a few rounds of 20 Questions with some of the missionaries to pass the time, we were taken back home once again. We had to go through the whole process of cleaning everything and trying to settle in once more, but we were so glad to be home once again.
So yeah. That has been my last 2-3 weeks. I’m honestly not sure how long it’s been because I have started to lose track of the days. At this point Storm Kappa has passed us by and it did not turn into a hurricane, thank God, we just got a little extra rain during the week. Either way, I ask you all to keep us at the Farm and those in Central America in your prayers. These past 2 hurricanes have been very devastating to several countries including Nicaragua and Guatemala. For Honduras, they hurricane have been the most devastating disasters since Hurricane Mitch in 1998, so you can imagine that the recovery is going to be long and hard. There were many lives that were lost and many many people lost their homes. My evacuation was a small inconvenience, yet I am safe and doing well. Thanks be to God. I am very grateful for all the resources the Farm has to keep us safe and thankful that we did not get hit as hard as the rest of the country.
I will also say that I have been able to see some of the good that has come from the evacuation. For one, I have formed relationships with the boys, which is not something I could say before the evacuations and probably would still not be able to say that if we had not evacuated. Also, I was able to return to the Finca and feel like I was going home and not back to a random place in the middle of Honduras. Above all else, I was able to marvel in awe and wonder at our Lord. After our first evacuation, the power and water were still pretty inconsistent at the Finca and when the power is out, you cannot see anything in front of you unless you have a flashlight. So, on Saturday night, after our community cooking, the buds, Megan, and I walked out to the campo with a blanket and bench and laid out in the middle of the soccer field to look at the stars. It was one of the best, if not the best, skies I had ever seen. I was in awe of how Jesus had created our universe and how small I was in comparison to it all, yet He allows me to be a part of it and enjoy His creations. This was probably one of my favorite nights at the Finca thus far. It was very spontaneous, but we got to share stories and talked about constellations. We laughed a lot and enjoyed one another’s company.
Though there have been crazy, unexpected events that have happened, I am so grateful to be here experiencing life with my fellow missionaries and the kids. There is something about looking up at the sky and seeing how big the universe is and knowing that the Creator of it all has placed you specifically in this place that is overwhelming to think about sometimes. Or coming back home and having a conversation with a kid that you know not much about yet love so much. Because that is true. I love the kids here so much already and they make me think about the love that Jesus has for us and how we don’t have to do anything to earn it, yet His love is unconditional. Through all the difficulties and chaos, I can do nothing but give Him praise and thanks for creating me and placing me here at the Finca during this very specific time. So, I hope you know that you are loved by the Creator of all things. I’ll be praying for you all during this Thanksgiving season and hope you are all well. Please keep me in your prayers as well. Love and miss you all <3
Paz y Bien,
Alicia
