I am home for the holidays. It is cold but enjoyable. It felt weird to fly into a white and very flat area.... my brain had a hard time comprehending it at first. I have been sick for the past about 5 weeks. It is difficult to get well in Honduras because perhaps the moisture in the air, the drastic changes in temperature and the fact that I have been having to walk a whole lot in the rain. Medicines are harder to come by, we can get them, but communicating exactly what the illness is and what we need can be difficult. Thus saying I had quite a fierce cold (that seems like an understatement) for about 5 weeks now. But since I have been back in the states I am getting better and it feels good!!! I was feeling so weak and awful. But praise God I think I am finally on the tail end of it!

Looking to the Skies: sick but better

Scott Missionary Page

Last night we went caroling! Yeah I said it... caroling.

We went around Finca Las Glorias where all us North Americans live. The Finca Las Glorias would be best described as a ranch but made up of tropical rainforest. But if you explore down some roads and past much jungle you come upon Lake Yajoa as well as Hotel Las Glorias. At the end of one road closet to the lake live Gaspar and Gloria Pineda, the owners of the hotel they are like the King and Queen of the area. We began spreading our Christmas cheer here at their house. We started with Feliz Navidad and just sang up a storm. They invited us in and we finished inside, then as we left to continue our merry journey Don Gaspar and Donna Gloria joined us for some Christmas mirth. We continued up the road to Yadira and Leonardo's house (one of 5 of Gaspar and Gloria's adult children) We sang there and they brought out their twin baby girls (Elizabeth and Ingrid) to listen. Next stop was the house of  Gaspar Antonio and Denise (they have 4 children of their own with one more on the way) We sang there and in the peaceful midst of singing Silent night two of the local dogs got in a fight, right there in front of us as we were trying to have a tranquil moment. I was pretty entertained by it, the dog fight didn't last long, but it cut our peaceful moment short.

We headed to Gerardo and Pati's house next. They came out with their little one and enjoyed Los Gringos. 

Our last stop on the finca was the actual Hotel Las Glorias where we sang for a group of guests there.

At this point  the children (for we were accompanied by many of the Pineda children) headed up to Chris' house for Cocoa and cookies. And the young adults spurned on by Megan (a teacher at Lake Yajoa) went to carol at out 1st grade teachers house (off of the finca down the road a bit) Veronica Bueso, who I have mentioned before, she is a British woman who is married to a Honduran Man and has lived here for about 25 years. But being British she knows about caroling and appreciates it. So we went there with lit candles and warm hearts. We sang at the top of our voices to call her out and out she came! It was fun.

Then we headed back to the finca for some cocoa and cookies of our own, and a exciting fire work show provided by yours truly (fire works are set off at Christmas here until after the New Year so we are able to buy them right now). The kids loved the fire works and we loved lighting them. 

So what more could you ask for carols, cocoa, cookies and fire... works!

Looking to the Skies: Here we go a-wassailing!

Scott Missionary Page

In all their glory! Presenting the chickens!... and catracho joe. The chickens names are as follows: the rooster is named Edward (courtesy of Chibi) the "tall" hen is name Jaquline (also Chibi) and the short legged hen is named Queja which means complaint in Spanish because she made a lot of chicken whiny noises. I named her queja. I can't tell which one is which in this pic... but you get the general idea of how glorious we have it.

They have their little legs leashed to sticks at this point to keep them nearby but we fashioned a pen for them out of this cement thing you see here.  

Looking to the Skies: chickens!

Scott Missionary Page

Oh dear it is late but I feel (I almost just spelled feel as feal... moving on) I must really post.

Things I am thankful for:

1. clean laundry, especially but not limited to socks and pants.

2. fowl, of the chicken and rooster variety. Yes folks we have acquired 2 chickens and a rooster for egging.

3. friends and family

4. Internet

5. a sunshiny day that the kids got to run and play.

6. for our employers who might be from a whole different culture but cared enough to have us over for an American holiday feast tonight! they had mashed potatoes, salad (with feta a rarity in our small town) and some good big hunks o'chicken. 

7. for some of the first grade kids telling me "Happy Thanksgiving" 

I am missing home but feeling very very thankful for the people God has put in my life here in Honduras!

Looking to the Skies: Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Scott Missionary Page

My Class on this side--------------Chibi's class on this side

Oh yes I must mention how the parade went. I thought it went great, there was a tv crew (actually just a guy holding a tv camera) there and parents getting in the way... It was sunny and I had a lot of fun! The little town of Pena Blanca we live near has one main "intersection" this makes up the major area of Pena Blanca. Coming into Pena Blanca from the school (where we work) there is a two lane bridge we must cross over to get into "town". The entire school met a bit up from this bridge, we all stood around for about an hour until the hired high school marching band showed up. Hiring another's schools band is a regular occurrence here. They were a pretty good band and it was fun to have the musical accompaniment. So the kids did a smashing job just waiting for an hour to start the parade (disfile en Espanol). Then we started. Oh the excitement of the shouting of the crowds "Miss Scott Miss Scott!!" Ok not really but it was a neat experience to be able to look to the sides of the street and see people watching, the whole little town we walk through to buy our groceries, our humble little Pena Blanca, all out and watching the gringo teachers marching! The main road in Pena Blanca is I would say maybe (don't quote me on this) about 5 city blocks long. We marched that main road way stopping at intervals and in all we were able to draw this out to about in hour. Our Prepa classes waved their little batons with "fake fire" on the ends and marched till the couldn't anymore. I think it all went really well. Unorganized as always but looking good in the end!

Looking to the Skies: The Parade

Leah Scott Missionary Page

I thought I was tired... but then one blog lead to another and hear I am. Going to try to fit a whole lot of something in to one little blog update.

Ok first on the agenda is to address the team that came from my home church. A team of 8 men came out here to Honduras this past week. They left Thursday and were here from last Thursday. They were mainly a construction team. They came out to help with the church building construction although for one reason or another they were not able to work on the actual church building but they were able to do a ton of work on the children's church building. I mean these guys worked dang hard. Not only that but it was great to see familiar faces and have some new laughs with old friends! 

It made me think of two disagreeing sayings, one is - "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and the other "out of sight out of mind". They are both addressing the same situation and yet they say two completely different things. Which category do you fit in? 

It is good to see others outside of this box called Honduras, to get others back in my mind and to make me realize I have people to be fond of!

Ok next item on the agenda.... oh yes Honduras.

I think that as a culture they work so hard on the way things "seem" on the outside but when it comes down to the little details that make things work, run smoothly, more organized they kinda throw it all to the curb. Every thing happens in the end but the getting there always seems like a bigger ordeal than need be. Now the question is- does the american-ness in me make the way they do things chafe or is they way they are doing things not all that effective in the scheme of things? I guess it doesn't matter because one way or another it comes down to denying how I believe things should be. And that is truly one of the huge lessons that we get slapped in the face throughout this thing called life.

God bringing things to reality in my brain as I write a blog. 

Looking to the Skies: The middle of Nov already!?

Leah Scott Missionary Page

The 4x4 rally finished off very rainy, very muddy and exciting. But we were in mud up to our shins in places it was crazy. 

Please pray- my new computer that I got by an amazing miracle of God is wigging out on me! I don't know if I have a tech-jinx or what but it has been doing the weirdest things and then sometimes it just works and then sometimes not at all. So please pray that is would just get well!! And that God would heal my tech-no jinx.

Thanks. 

The parade is this Friday, the kids are looking sharp!

Looking to the Skies

Leah Scott Missionary Page

Here in Pena Blanca they have a 4x4 rally every year. I know Chris has mentioned it and I am pretty sure I mentioned it last year. Well it was here this weekend. Today we went to the first set of competitions in the rally. The juniors and the stock cars. It was a lot of fun. But the real fun happens tomorrow (Sunday) Sunday is the day all the bigger, very serious about it 4x4s compete. 

Today was great weather for it. It never came out and rained like it meant it, but it was slightly overcast the whole of the day. Mud was flying every which way, boots were being sucked down by the thick mud we had to slog through. The smaller lighter vehicles were the ones that in the end did better. Because the larger vehicles were heavier and would get trapped in the mud easier. 

I took a ton of pics. Some if interesting might get posted and if not...no.

In general I think a good time was had by all.

Looking to the Skies: 4x4

Leah Scott Missionary Page

Okay I realized something... I only talked about our school parade in one of my newsletters and then assuming you would know about it here on blogger I mentioned it. My bad.

Well our school here in Hondura Lake Yajoa Bilingual School is having a parade on the 7th or 5th, I don't know if they have decided yet. Anyway we are having a parade to celebrate the one year anniversary of moving into the new building we are in now! We will be parading through the small town Pena Blanca. I am very excited about it and I will try to get pictures although I know this will be an amazingly crazy day.

I also carved little squash type gourd things this week. I have some great pictures of them! They made me super happy!

It is still raining here which mean flooding is not getting any better. 

It has gotten chilly here the fog was rolling through the school earlier today and my clothes got a 4th and 5th rinse cycle. Hey it was pretty sunny on Sunday.

We have had a number of alacran (scorpion) sightings about 4 in all. They are creepy! Ugh and our British friend Veronica says if they bite you they hurt really bad! 

Though I am curious about how bad..... but not at night in my bare feet or in my bed.

Looking to the Skies: The parade of hope and wonder

Leah Scott's Missionary page

Included in this post but not limited to:

2 pictures of the root of death.... with its purply veins of tingly ouch. I had eaten this particular root before in a stew so I have no idea why it caused such a reaction this past time of the afore mentioned blog.

Well here are pics before we cooked it and after.

Chibi Lea seem to be doing better but continue to pray for better and better health for her.

We had this past Friday off for day of the soldier. We also got paid on Thursday which is always exciting. So these past few days have been very good ones.

One of the parents sells fish so we were able to get some fish which we ate tonight (Saturday) in an orange/ginger/garlic glaze. It was really delicious.

I have been enjoying continuing the relationships I made with people around this area, it is fun. Such as this next narrative:

One day I was moving rocks onto one of the roads we use often and had gotten quite muddy recently. Well as I was doing this one of the waitresses that we have gotten close to walks by sees what I am doing and starts helping! I tried to insist that she did not have to because she was just getting off work walking up the road for the bus. She said she had time and continued helping me collect rocks. I call her Sonrisa which means smile because she has a beautiful smile. It  was such a sweet gesture. As she left that same day she said "Tomorrow I will do a little bit more." and sure enough she did!!! It really touched my heart. I hope that I will be able to return the favor and do something extra special for her one day. 

Also that same day I was chopping grass and two other of the workers at the hotel walking up the road stopped to wave at me. They were far off too, but they saw me and stood there waving until I turned around and waved back. Those moments make my heart smile!

Looking to the Skies: the moments of smiling.