La Casa de Clark

La Casa de Clark

A big part of my first month after moving to Honduras has been spent in finding, furnishing and getting everything going to have a place to live. This has been a different experience for me, while serving in Haiti I lived on the campus, within the walls of the mission itself. While this made the transition to Haiti much more convenient and allowed me to be much more readily available whenever problems arose at the mission, the flipside to that was that I never truly felt like I had a home, a place to call my own.

Soon after I arrived here, I spent some time with Oscar looking at some houses that he had already scouted out for me. As soon as I saw this little house I knew it was the one. It was plenty big enough for me, clean, secure, on a nice quiet street and best of all, fit within my budget! Soon thereafter I met with the owner of the house, signed a 1 year contract, and I had myself a home!

The next step was to start trying to find all of the necessary stuff needed to create a household, made just a little more difficult for me in that:

1.     My Spanish isn’t very good at all

2.     I don’t know where anything is here

3.     No vehicle to get where I needed to go (even if I knew where it was)

American & Honduran style clothes washing facilities :-)

But, thanks to my wonderful friends Jana, Oscar & Felipe I was able to not only get what I needed to start furnishing my house, but also was able to take care of the other needed stuff (such as opening bank accounts, setting up internet for my house, buying a sim card for my phone so I could use it here, etc.). The only thing missing was actual furniture, which the mission was kind enough to let me borrow until I can buy my own stuff. Fortunately I have been able to pick up a few pieces of furniture from a friend of mine, Laurie Matherne, who is leaving Honduras after several years serving here and is heading home to the states. A full size bed, a nice set of wicker chairs for the living room, a small table (just the right size for my house) and in a few weeks, a stove! Not to mention a bunch of odds and ends that she has blessed me with. Her generosity has helped me make big strides in setting up house and settling in here, and I can’t possibly thank her and all my friends at the mission enough for what they have done to help me!

I also was able to borrow a sewing machine from the mission and was even able to sew drapes for all my windows! They may not be the straightest or the prettiest, but they definitely do the job!

So, now I am almost completely settled in, other than a few small things that I am keeping my eye out for here (or that I may bring back in when I am home in September for my niece, Paige’s wedding. Either way, I love my little home here and am excited to now be able to focus more on my calling, serving the ministry of His Eyes, the people of Honduras and the Kingdom of our amazing God!

(By the way, I do have a spare bedroom, just in case anyone would like to come visit sometime J )

A time for everything...

A Time for Everything

”There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
    a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
    a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
    a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
    a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil?  I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 NIV

“Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" ~ Green Day

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time

It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right,
I hope you had the time of your life.

////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Since my first short term trip here in 2008, Honduras has always held a special place in my heart. It is here that I first saw true need, recognized utter poverty and felt the awesome impact that the love of Christ can have in the darker places in this world.

FCC Brazil Mission Trip ~ 2008

It is also the place where I felt Gods calling and direction for me to serve Him and his Kingdom here on earth. Since that time I have tried to live my life as he directs and although I trip and fall on an all to regular basis, His unfailing love and grace have never failed, and I know that I am blessed beyond measure (and beyond reason) to continue to serve.

From the moment I got here I have been welcomed with open arms and hearts by everyone at the mission. In my first month here I have found a place to live, furnished it and created a household. I’ve opened bank accounts, applied for my resident visa, been re-learning Spanish (right now, the Spanish I used to know has been largely overwritten by the Kreyole I’ve used the last two years), and just learning the day to day rituals of living here.

I’ve been excited to begin my work at the mission, helping to organize everything and help out however I can. I’m looking forward to whatever the next weeks, months and years may bring. In all things, I seek only to answer God’s call, to serve Him and His Kingdom however He directs.

In all things, in all ways, I will always remain in His service.