Best Trip Ever!!!

(I asked my oldest daughter Christina to write a couple blog posts about her recent missions trip to Honduras. She doesn't like writing so these posts are a labor of love.)

As a general policy, I avoid writing or speaking about trips I have gone on.  To me, travel is a deeply personal experience, and while to the individual, travel is something special and unique, to the general public uninteresting and cliche.

  

Talking about my recent trip to Honduras, however, breaks that policy.  I have lived overseas several times and traveled to multiple countries, but those trips were focused on me and what I wanted to do.  This Honduras trip impacted me in many ways because I realized how much I enjoyed focusing on the well being of others instead of myself. 

This trip also combined several of my passions and was a small taste of what I hope to do career wise in the future.   I am currently on the waiting list to start Nursing School and hope to eventually move into the area of Public Health.  I also love the Spanish language so enjoyed a trip that combined traveling, Spanish, and the medical field. 

In mid-January I spent eight days in Honduras working as a Spanish translator for a group of local medical professionals that annually travel to Northern Honduras.   

According to the World Bank, Honduras is the third poorest country in the Western Hemisphere after Haiti and Nicaragua and the income disparity is huge between the rich and poor. 

Our main focus was to put on free medical clinics in remote mountain villages surrounding the city of Santa Barbara, Honduras.

The team I went with has been doing these clinics for the past 14 years so they were quite familiar to the people in these villages.  

Many villagers have no access to medical care and our visit will be the only medical attention they receive all year.  

What made the biggest impression was being exposed to the abject poverty that we encountered in the villages.  They have so little, and compared to them, I have so much. They lack so many of the everyday things I take for granted. 

The first village we visited was the most remote and poverty very apparent.   We worked in a field with a few ramshackle tables that served as workbenches.  

Pharmacy - Honduras style

I'll write more about the trip in the next post as this one is getting long. I'll close today by saying that the people of Honduras and their needs touched my heart and I'm thankful for the trip and the opportunity to have a small part in helping to make the world a better place.

A Lovely Address

Very sincere Valentine greetings from a variety of venerable, versatile, vacation-loving, van-driving Viks.

A friend asked for directions to our house and I told her we live at 214 _____ St. (Street name intentionally left out because we'd hate for the Paparazzi to find out where we live)

My friend said, "2 - 14." That's the date for Valentines Day." Our address is not quite as cool or obvious as the folks who live in Loveland, Co, but we have to work with what we're given. 

Happy Valentines Day.

Only in Wisconsin

My husband is a die-hard Denver Broncos fan. When our church interviewed Keith two years ago, their first question was, "Are you a Packers Fan?" When he said he liked the Broncos they supposed that would be okay, as long as he wasn't for the Vikings. 

Some friends gave Keith a Green Bay Packers tie saying that if he wanted to save souls in Wisconsin he needed to  become a Packer fan. But how can you expect a man to change his football allegiance just because he changed states?

So despite the state-wide Packer frenzy and general euphoria, while Keith and the oldest 4 girls went to a youth group Super Bowl party, the rest of us stayed home and watched Letters to God on Netflix. I could tell by the firecrackers going off outside that the Packers had won.  

Happy sigh! Football is done for another year. Big grin.

The next day I'm checking out at Wal-mart. Nobody behind me so the clerk is not in a hurry. I tell her I want my two groups of items rung up separately. 
     
She gets a bit crabby. "Do you want them bagged separately?"
    
I know attitude when I hear it so now I'm on guard.  "It doesn't matter."
       
The clerk grunts, "You're paying for them separately but it doesn't matter if they're bagged together?"
     
So much for the customer always being right. Wanting to get away from this testy lady as soon as possible, I reply, "Yeah."

The clerk switches gears, "So what about them Packers?"

She'd have no way of knowing I'd rather have a cavity filled than watch a football game, but I want to be polite. "Um...yeah."

The clerk suddenly becomes Chatty Cathy. "Man that game was exciting. I kept holding my breath."

It didn't matter now whether I talked or not, she just kept going. "Um...yeah."

By now the clerk is almost done bagging my groceries. She grins, "I would have lost a lot of money if the Steelers won."

I'm weary of being polite.  "I'm glad it worked out for you."
      
People are now in line behind me but she keeps talking. "There was a lot of yelling at our house."

Finally done being polite, I admit, "I didn't watch the game."

The clerk stops what she's doing. Looking genuinely stymied she asks incredulously. "How can you live in Wisconsin and not root for the Packers?"

Indeed. How could I? Probably some sort of genetic defect. Which is worse - to not like football or to not like the Packers? I offer a conciliatory "If I would have watched the game, I would have rooted for the Packers."

At that point she probably decided I wasn't worth talking to and we finished our transaction and I was out of there. 


Sheesh! I'm back to my conclusion from my hair-dying post, when you're not sure what to say, the safest response is "Yep."

Monday Mugs- Look Down

 

Initially I was stumped with this week's "Looking Down" category, then found quite a few. Sorry for the overload but I narrowed 33 pictures down to 12 that I've titled - 

"The Spirit of Childhood."

You know how kids have imaginations

And see things

the rest of us miss

How they stop

to smell more roses than we do

And are fascinated

with little things

I love to catch them

When they're lost in wonder

Childhood is a precious treasure

And is fast used up

The days pass quickly,

like leaves falling from a tree.
Here's to giving our children happy childhoods. 

Be sure to visit other Monday Mugs at Oswald Cuties.

Kindle for PC

Wanted to let my fellow bookworms know that Amazon has a free download that lets people read Kindle e-books on their computers. The icing on the cake or the foam on top the root beer is that Amazon regularly offers free Kindle downloads.

My friend Michelle at Faith, Creativity, Life took upon herself the job of weeding through the wood, hay, and stubble to find the good stuff. At least once a week Amazon offers new titles so Michelle posts on her blog when something good is available to download. Most of her Kindle Freebie alerts are for Christian Fiction. If you follow her blog, you'll be notified of new offerings. 

Many are limited time offers that need to be jumped on. Make sure the price is free so you don't accidentally get something you have to pay for.

I currently have 27 free books on my Kindle for PC reader. So far I've read four. I feel so rich. I've been exposed to new authors I haven't read before. I've read genres I might not normally read. 

Another reason I like the reader is I can adjust the font size and dispense with reading glasses.

The downside is I love to read in bed and it's a tad difficult to read a laptop in bed. Especially after my husband goes to sleep. I also can't read in the tub with a laptop. And it's not so easy to stick in your purse to read in spare moments.

Right now Amazon offers one of my favorite authors, Lisa Wingate's Talk of the Town as a free download. The book is normally $13.99 so I saved $14 just by reading the book.

So if blogging doesn't get you out of enough housework, click on the following links for enough reading material to guarantee your floors won't get mopped any time this week. 

(Amazon Kindle for PC Free download)

Some Kindle Freebies (As of today)

Candle in the Darkness (Refiner's Fire Book 1) by Lynn Austin

A Promise to Remember by Kathryn Cushman

The Choice (Lancaster County Secrets, Book 1) by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Listen by Rene Gutteridge

Vanished by Kristi Holl

Holy Bible ESV translation
The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen

Invisible by Lorena McCourtney 

Daughter of Joy (Brides of Culdee Creek, #1) by Kathleen Morgan

The One Year Devotions Book for Couples 

Just As I Am by Virginia Smith (I read and enjoyed)

Stuck in the Middle by Virginia Smith  (read and liked)

Craving God by Lysa TerKeurst 

Fools Rush In (Weddings by Bella, Book 1) by Janice Thompson (read and liked)

Tired of Reading The Berenstain Bears?

As a former second-grade teacher, part-time librarian, and mother who has read a kajillion books to her seven children over the years I know a good children's book when I see one.  

Apparently so do my two youngest daughters. When the book arrived they both (ages 14 and 12) sat down to read it. They are huge fans of Donita K. Paul's Dragonspell books so figured this would be good too. 

What a sweet story! The Dragon and the Turtle reminds me of a Franklin book - same gentle tone, same good lessons. Beautifully illustrated, the story addresses the topic of friendship. Turtle is lost and his new Dragon friend helps him find the way home.

The Dragon and the Turtle is first in a series. Dragon and Turtle Go on Safari is the next installment. Kids can find out more about Dragon and Turtle at their website. To learn more about Mrs. Paul visit her website.

I originally planned to use this book as a gift, but might save it for grandchildren, which might be awhile since Andrew and Rachel just got married last May and aren't in any hurry to honor his sister's requests to make them aunties.

If you need a gift for a young child or want a break from reading Arthur, Berenstain Bears, Clifford, or Franklin books to the little people in your life, you might want to give this book a try. 

Waterbrook Multnomah has a Dragon and Turtle contest to "send your child on safari".
The Grand Prize includes:
--A child size tent
--2 sleeping bags
--Campfire treats
--Safari tools (compass, flashlight, and spy glass)
--Stuffed animals
--Copies of "The Dragon and the Turtle" and "The Dragon and the Turtle Go On Safari"
2 runners up will receive a copy of each book and a stuffed animal.
Go HERE to enter. (Contest ends Feb. 11, 2011)

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book from Waterbrook/Multnomah Press in exchange for my honest review. 

If you're feeling extra nice today, you can rate my review for the good folks at Waterbrook. 

A Slight Misunderstanding

I have ongoing hair color issues with my two oldest daughters. When I was their age nobody dyed their hair except middle-aged women who wanted to cover gray and people who thought blondes had more fun, but only their hair dresser knew for sure.

Christina and Kiah have been all over the color wheel. I know dying hair is a personal preference and I'm willing to admit I could be wrong but I believe God knew what He was doing when He chose their hair and eye color.

I know hair dye isn’t permanent like tattoos so I should bite my tongue and hope they’ll outgrow this stage.

I know it’s not a mortal sin to use hair dye but I can’t get used to it. Normal hair has such pretty natural highlights. I love when the sun shines on it and you see such a pretty spectrum. 

My girls say I'm a hypocrite because I dye my hair, but that’s different. I cover gray while they cover perfectly good color. I’m not quite ready to have gray hair yet so I cheat until I get used to being old.

I spotted an empty box of black hair dye in the garbage this week and knew one of them had been at it again.

Perhaps Christina who's currently blonde?

Or maybe black-haired Kiah who must be color-blind not to see that she looked prettier with the pretty light brown hair God gave her?

Or, gasp, was it the person behind Door number #3?

Yes folks, it was Erica. Sigh! Call me old-fashioned, call me controlling, out of touch, and opinionated, but I don’t like my sweet brown-haired gray-eyed daughter walking around with jet black hair. 

See what I mean. Look at her picture in the side bar and tell me she doesn't look better with her regular hair color.  (P.S. - I'll still be your friend if you don't agree with me)

Erica asked a friend from church how he liked her hair. When he said it looked nice, I barked, “Wrong answer.”

On Saturday, I stood beside Erica’s former ski instructor and watched her get on the chair lift with a snowboard.

He shook his head and said, “I see your daughter’s gone over to the dark side.”

Laboring under the delusion that others share my distaste for hair dye and automatically assuming he meant Erica’s black hair, I heaved a sigh and said, “Not with my blessing.”

He gave me an odd look and said, “Oh it’s not that bad. “At least she’s outside and getting fresh air and exercise.”

Huh? What’s dyed hair got to do with fresh air and exercise?

He changed the subject and I walked away to check on my other girls on the tubing hill. I mulled over his odd comment and tried to make sense of his response.

Then, as my girls like to quote from the movie Despicable Me, “Light Bulb.”

Erica had a hat on so her ski instructor couldn’t see her hair color. She usually wears a ski helmet anyway so he might not even know what her normal hair color is.

I finally realized he had merely commented that Erica had switched from skiing to snowboarding.

Boy did I feel stupid. That'll teach me to complain about my children to other people. Oh wait, that’s what I’m doing now. Okay, after this blog post I’ll quit complaining about my children to other people. Maybe.

I now know the safest response when you're not sure what someone is talking about is to say, "Yep."

I'm linking up with Rachel at Once Upon a Miracle for True Story Tuesday.  Rachel and her husband are great storytellers and will make it worth your while to hop over there to check them out.