Preparation for Honduras

The time has come for me to start my design work here in Latin America! As I woke up early this morning to start packing for my project trip to Danli, Honduras, I was reminded of God's amazing grace that has allowed me to take this trip tomorrow. I wanted to share Ephesians 2:10 with you. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Two staff members (Tim and Zack) and two interns (Esther and me) from the Costa Rican EMI office will take off in the morning to meet 10 other volunteers in Danli. I have attached a small description of the Muñoz family and their vision for our design of the Missions Base and Training Center.

We are blessed to have all disciplines covered that we need to create a conceptual design by the end of our week in Honduras: professional architects, structural and civil engineers, electrical and alternative energy engineers, surveyors, a landscape architect and a master planner.



WHO WE WILL BE WORKING WITH: Marlon and Trisha Muñoz have been partnering with Commission to Every Nation (CTEN) and Extreme Missionary Adventures (XMA) since 2006. The Muñoz family has graciously opened their home for years as a base camp for visiting international mission teams. Together, they travel into remote villages in southern Honduras along the Patuca River. By hosting about 15 short-term mission teams per year, they have been able to build relationships with remote indigenous people. They share Christ with them, learn their physical, spiritual, and social needs and connect others to serve with them meeting these needs. Many of the indigenous people have said “You have come and shared such news with us and we have believed. We want to know more and learn how to walk the path of the Lord.” Marlon and Trisha have a vision to continue being effective and expand their ministry to these people. Because they have slowly outgrown the capacity of the home, they need a more dedicated space to host mission teams.

The site in Danli

THE VISION: The Muñoz family has acquired a 63-acre parcel of land about 25 minutes outside of Danli, Honduras. They are hoping to develop this land into a missions base and training center. Their passion is to grow new believers and church leaders, especially those from the communities off of the Patuca River. This center will also provide a much needed place for baptisms, church events and conferences for local churches. In addition, they have a vision to use this ministry base to teach preventative medicine, teach pastors a trade so they can support themselves since most of the time their congregation doesn’t have the financial capabilities to do so. They plan to build a home on the new property and raise their family there so they can continue being intimately involved with the ministry work.

OUR WORK: The EMI team will design a master plan for the site, providing a detailed design for a multi-purpose facility that will house mission teams and serve the community. We will also design a new well to provide water and design the connections of power lines on the adjacent property to provide electricity. We also hope to use solar energy for sustainability. The Muñoz family is excited to see the design God will provide through the EMI team.


Please be in prayer for:

- team unity as we come together for one week of hard work
- our safety and health while traveling to this poverty stricken part of Honduras
- our ability to design a facility that expands the Kindgom of God 

Settling In

It's Day 27 in Costa Rica!

ATESA Language School

I can truthfully say it has been a wonderful last three weeks in Costa Rica!  Before starting work with EMI, we four interns attended Language School here in Atenas.  We had two weeks of an Intensive Spanish Program (very much like the language school I attended in Mexico).  Kevin, Esther and I started promptly in the intermediate class... yes, intermediate!  It's interesting to know that Kevin and Esther's three years of Spanish in high school = my 10 weeks of Spanish being completely immersed!  Our classroom was located outside under a canopy as we enjoyed the lush greenery and fresh tropic air.  After two weeks of intensive learning and being encouraged to speak only Spanish for those weeks, we graduated! 

Graduation from Language School

We took advantage of the time we had before starting work in the office.  Our various activities included a day trip to Jacó- a beach on the Pacific ocean, rock climbing in San Jose, and zip-lining through the rainforest in Los Sueños!

Our afternoons were spent volunteering in our local community.  My host family's church, Iglesia Biblica, hosted vacation bible school where we helped out with facepainting, crafts, teaching music and games. 

Vacation Bible School at Iglesia Biblica

We have also been working at a new division of the local orphanage called Residencia de Vida.  Kevin, Brad, Esther and I have been working hard to finish building cabinets in preparation for Health Dept inspection.  We have designed, made, and assembled two cabinets... including going to buy the wood, sawing, sanding, staining, drilling and varnishing. We are quickly getting the new house ready for inspection, then we can bring in the kids! 

I praise God that I have connected even more with my host family. Just a few days ago, they told me I am a part of their family and my host mom is starting to introduce me as her daughter when we are out in public. I have been waiting for this moment to come!

Bienvenidos a Atenas, Costa Rica!

It's Day 14 in Costa Rica! 

 

We arrived in Atenas late Sunday night on January 22nd.  Our first night here, Tim and Cindy (staff family with EMI) opened their home to Esther and me while Brad and Kevin stayed with Dan and Sarah (another EMI staff family).  We had a welcome breakfast the next morning at Tim and Cindy's home and departed for the EMI office for the first time!  We settled in quickly, chose our desks at the office and went off on our first adventure in town to exchange US dollars to Costa Rican colones at the Banco Nacional de Costa Rica.  Going to the bank here is more like going to the DMV in the States.  You grab a number at the door, wait in a sitting area until your number and position are called, then you make your exchange. It could be up to an hour wait!

Our first week here was another week of orientation, becoming familiar with the new culture, language and customs of the Costa Rican people.  I already feel a bit accustomed to the Latin American culture from my time spent in Mexico. For those of you who don't know, a year and a half ago, I lived with a Mexican family for three months when I studied Spanish in Cuernavaca.  Not being taught anything about the culture before being immersed in it, I realize now I could have done some things differently to better fit in with the people instead of always thinking the gringo way was the right way!  The staff of EMI has given us a heads up of some things to get used to.  #1. You will have a loss of privacy.  Costa Rican people are very close in their relationships and in having small personal bubbles.  #2. Throw your toilet paper in the trashcan.  Plumbing is not as advanced here as it is in the US.  #3. You will need to adjust the "widow maker" in the shower in order to have hot water.  It's a lever on an electric box next to the shower head that you have to push up while running the water- yikes! That's a good reason it gets the name "widow maker"! 

"Tico"= A native Costa Rican

"Gringo"= An awkward American oblivious to his surroundings, possibly sporting a fanny pack and continually saying "donde" and "baño" in the same sentence. (Well said, Amos!)

Antonella, Nuria, Emerita, Marvin, and Wendol

We were introduced to our Tico families on Monday!  I am living with a wonderful Christian family who live quite close to the EMI office.  My host father, Marvin, works in Immigration at the San Jose airport.  My lovely host mother, Nuria, is a hairdresser who has a small studio in the house.  She prepares all the meals, cleans the house, washes all our clothes, and still manages to spend a lot of time with their three children: Wendol, Augusto, and Antonella.  My host sister, Wendol, is 22 years old, graduated with a degree in Administration with an emphasis in Finance.  She speaks slowly for me and she seems to use words that I know.  She and my host mom babysit a precious 2 year old girl during the week who is a like a breath of fresh air.  She makes us laugh and smile.  Her Spanish is still better than mine, but it's good because when she comes in my room,  she's always asking me "Que es esto?" which means "What is this?"  I am able to practice my vocab of knowing different things around my room!  My host brother, Augusto, 19, is studying Systems Engineering at a university in San Jose.  He also works at la Casa de Cultura at our church here in Atenas.  He is rarely at home, balancing his time between school, work and friends.  My youngest sister, Antonella, is 15 years old and very sweet. I have enjoyed helping her study for her English tests and she enjoys it when I fix her hair.  I am learning the technique of teaching English while speaking in Spanish! 

The Guzmán Family

I am blessed to be living with a loving Tico family.  They have shown me the grace of God these past two weeks in many ways. They are patient with me as I am new in their home as we try to communicate.  They serve me and care for me like I am one of their own.  They want to know more about me just as I want to know more about them.  I am excited for the next six months as I feel I will grow to be a part of this family.