Gosh, it’s been a while since I’ve updated you all. I truly apologize for that!! To say things have been crazy would be an understatement. The past several months since I last updated you all has involved lots of hard times, but also so many beautiful moments. If I tried to share them all, I surely would have you sitting here for hours. So, even though I would love to share some events that have happened since last July, I will focus on the more recent months. Later on, I hope that I can maybe share specific events that have happened because of how special they were in the moment.
The Finca has not changed much since I last updated you all. For those of you who don’t know, I started a new role here back in November. I am now the Subdirector for the Finca school. That means that I am the Director’s (or Principal’s) right-hand person. My duties involve many things from unlocking the classrooms to restocking the toilet paper in the bathroom to supplying kids with school materials to subbing whenever a teacher is absent. It takes up most of my time during the week since I am at the school all morning and in the afternoons the Finca kids ask me to get some supplies for them or print things out for them. At the beginning of the school year, I got to sub for 5th grade math for 3 months. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be and I STRUGGLED. A lot. Teaching math to 10 boys and 5 girls was hard when there were some who didn’t know any of their timetables and there were others who knew how to multiply with 3 digits. On top of that, it was so much harder to control behavior within the classroom than what I had thought. However, I made it through. I asked other missionaries to help me out and I did my best. I was overjoyed when the government teacher finally came at the beginning of May. Though I struggled, I gained so much more respect for teachers than I already had. After the government teacher showed up, I felt so relieved and so much less stressed. I was able to focus on more key aspects of my role, like teacher evaluations and more logistical things like recreating the school schedule.
Of course, being at the school is a large part of my life here, however, it is far from my favorite part. My favorite parts are the afternoons when I can spend time with our Finca kids. The kids keep on winning my heart over and over again. There are moments where, yes, they drive me crazy, but the majority of the time I am so grateful that I get to be part of their life. Getting to go to the beach with them or play battleship or talk on the front patio or make tortillas are some of my favorite things about the Finca. Sharing daily life with them brings lots of joy to my life.
One day that was very fun included a little bit of a raking competition with some of our girls. Karen (another missionary) and I were hanging out with some of the older girls and the tía was making bread for all of us in our outside oven. Both Karen and I still had to rake our areas. We could have done it on our own and taken about 20 minutes each or we could have called upon some of the kids to help us. Let’s face it, we chose to have the girls help us because they are significantly faster than us and we thought we could make it fun. So, Karen took a girl and I took a girl. I had definitely underestimated how fast we could rake because within 5 minutes both Karen’s area and my area were done! All 4 of us were sweating and panting. The race had been close and honestly, I don’t know who won. Karen argued that she won, and I argued that we won especially because my raking area is bigger than hers and we finished at more or less the same time. The girls were also playfully arguing with each other as to who won. In the end, we each came to our own conclusion and I ended up buying chips and cokes for the girls and ourselves as a reward and as a way to cool off a bit.
One of the biggest blessings I’ve received during these past few months has been becoming a Confirmation sponsor for our oldest boy at the Finca. As you can imagine, he is like any other teenage boy who wants to prove his strength and how good he is at soccer and acts tough. But in reality, he is the biggest sweetheart who always offers me food whenever I go over to his house or helps me carry a big and heavy provisions bag across the Finca or tries to protect me from an 10-year-old boy who is trying to hit me with a soccer ball during a fun game. He was also one of my students last year and I got to form a very special relationship with him through hours upon hours of one-on-one tutoring time. Getting to not only see him get Confirmed, but also be such a big part of it was such an honor. It also made me so happy to see 3 of our other girls also get Confirmed at the same time. It is a cool thing to see them grow into young men and women who are being formed in the faith. It’s also fun to walk by his house and hear him say, “Buenos días, madrina” (Good morning, godmother). On the day of the Confirmation, we also got to celebrate the 26-year Finca Anniversary. We celebrated both Confirmations band the Anniversary with a big party where there were games, skits, dancing, food, and a big rainstorm! Yes, it started POURING while we were all outside having a great time and so our party had to end a little early, but it was fun while it lasted.
There have of course been other huge blessings that have come about during this second year as a missionary. Life at the Finca just seems easier after already having gone through everything once. When I had originally decided to stay a 2nd year, there were lots of doubts in my mind about staying longer, however, now that I am actually in it, I know that I made the right choice. During the last several months, Emma (another missionary) and I had the opportunity to take a few days away from the Finca and explore Honduras a little bit more. One of the places we went to was a girls children’s home in a different part of the country. It was a nice children’s home, but it made me appreciate the Finca so much more. The other children’s home was set up like an orphanage where the girls would all go to a cafeteria and they had a room where there were around 5-10 beds for girls their age as well as a bathroom. There was not much space to run around and no school or clinic inside the gates. The Finca is set up in a way where the kids get to live family-style, in homes with other kids their age. They have a room for 1 or 2 of them and they have a kitchen area with a table and an outside area outside of each of their houses where they could play. In the middle of the Finca, there is a large soccer field where the kids could also go and play with each other. Not to mention, they are right on the beach and can go out swimming very often throughout their time at the Finca. They are also so well cared for and loved for by their tías, missionaries, Sors (Franciscan sisters), and other Finca employees.
Before going to the other children’s home, I had nothing to compare the Finca to. In fact, I thought that most children’s homes were set up like the Finca, but now I see that is not the case. Now some of the kids’ comments make more sense. One of the girls was telling me and some of her housemates how the Finca cares for them so well and that there was no other children’s home that could care for them in the same way. I found this comment interesting, but also made me feel relieved that the kids recognized that they were very blessed to be in a place where they could be loved for, cared for, and protected. The longer I’m here at the Finca, the more I come to see that the kids are very well taken care of in comparison to so many of the kids here in Honduras. The Finca kids may not have their biological families with them, but they have formed a family of their own here and it is beautiful to see. Yes, there are many people who come and go here, but there are so many connections with missionaries and other people in Honduras who love and care for the kids and the mission here.
Being a missionary at the Finca has been one of the greatest gifts I have received so far. The Lord has shown me His Goodness in so many different situations and has allowed me to grow a love for these kids in a very particular way. I know I keep saying this, but I am so grateful for all the kids here and for the opportunity I have to be a part of their lives. I really could not imagine doing anything else with my life at this point in time. I love the simplicity of life here and how I can spend many of my afternoons hanging out with kids. I love being able to go to a kid’s house and have coffee and chat with them. Or play soccer or go to the beach with the kids for 2-3 hours at a time. I love being able to walk by the kids houses and yell, “Buen provecho” or “Buenos días” and getting a response back. I love getting to see the kids grow both physically and emotionally. I love stopping at a kids house and receiving the biggest hugs from all ages of kids from our youngest to our oldest. It just goes to show that all these kids need love and I sure am glad that I can participate even the smallest bit.
So, even though life here is crazy and everchanging, I love it a lot. I want to thank you all also for your love and support during my time as a missionary here. I know I have not been the greatest at keeping you updated, but please know that I am so appreciative and eternally grateful for your support. Please keep me in your prayers and please know that you are in mine.
Until next time,
Alicia
