Connections...

Each morning, I have had the privilege of being able to run or exercise in some way.  That has been a huge blessing to me.  I always enjoy doing that in other countries.  It’s nice to have a change of scenery. 

Thursday morning, I planned to do a 45 minute run.  Well, that small dirt track around the soccer field was going to be pretty boring for 45 minutes.  So, thankfully, Katlyn wanted to join me for part of my run.  So, I met her in her “development” and we ran together for about 25 minutes and then I didn’t have as much time to run on my own in that tiny park.  It was a tough workout, though.  These hills here are brutal! 

Sonia has joined me the past few mornings for her walk.  There are quite a few neighborhood ladies that walk in that park in the mornings, too.  So, Sonia will begin to build some relationships.  They were funny…they told Sonia they wanted to put my running pants and T-shirt up somewhere in the park as a “memorial” for inspiration for them.  Haha! 

I spent some time chatting with Kristen this morning.  She’s doing well here and really enjoying her time.  However, like all of the girls, they are each struggling with some challenges, in just adjusting to the culture and the environment.  Kristen is a country girl from Texas.  Living in the city has been a challenge for her.  Kristen has such a servant heart…sometimes it’s hard for her to receive service from others.  It’s something she is trying to work on.  I’m proud of her and happy to see God working in her life.

We had plans to join a friend of mine that I had met here 2 years ago.  Kathie is 19 and lives here in Honduras.  When I visited the STEP team here 2 years ago, we partnered with Kathie’s church to do evangelism.  Kathie is a college med student.  I thought it would be fun to connect her with our current STEP team of girls while they are here.  They can connect with other people their age.  We had a fun time connecting at lunch, and then even some shopping together.  I saw some questionable cheetah running pants…the girls thought I needed to get them.  I passed on that one.

At one point, Kathie’s friend, Valeria, joined us.  Quite a bit of connections were made that afternoon.  Both Kathie and Valeria speak English, but have agreed to continue to help the girls practice their Spanish as well.  It was fun to see them all connecting so well immediately and having fun laughing together.

I spent some time chatting with Brynne in the afternoon, hanging out at Dunkin Donuts.  Brynne is such a vibrant, full-of-life, young woman.  She wants to soak up as much of the culture and experience everything!  Sometimes she struggles with the limitations that are put on the team here, just for safety reasons.  She’s learning things about herself and definitely sees positive things happening here.  Her and Katlyn are quite the crazy pair! 

We ended the day with a delicious meal at Jim and Sonia’s, followed by a Wendy’s frosty stop as we drove the girls home.  It was a great day of connections!

I’m only here for a few hours this morning before heading to the airport to fly back to the cold.   It’s always nice to go home, but I must say—not looking forward to the snow and ice!