I arrived to the Finca on October 7th to a friendly welcoming by all the missionaries at the house, followed by donuts and dancing with all the kiddos at the Farm that evening! It has been a joy to get to know all the kids’ names and the personalities that come along with each and every one of them.
While I have been getting to know the kids through meals together, soccer games, and spiritual events these past few weeks, behind the scenes, they have consisted of many orientation sessions to become more accustomed to what life is like at the Finca. The learning curve has been quite large here with the first lessons being about how to properly hand wash clothing, take bucket showers and start a fire on the fogón (outdoor stove) for making dinner.
Despite the difficulty of getting acclimated to the life here in Honduras, what I have enjoyed is the community’s complete joy towards all things Finca. Whether it is having to make dinner for the hundredth time on the fogón or playing soccer in the pouring rain, the whole community does so with such joy.
One of my favorite memories so far has been Community Dinner in which all the missionaries get together to cook a meal on Saturday evenings. Last Saturday, there were four of us out at the fogón making, cooking, and frying tortillas which has the potential of becoming a tedious task. However, instead of going through the motions and simply ‘getting through’ the job, we threw Taylor Swift on the speaker and enjoyed every moment of flipping the tortillas on the stove.
Another notable memory from the past week was playing our Friday evening community soccer game in the pouring rain. Though the rain was not letting up and there were times when it was raining so hard one could barely see halfway down the field, the Hondurans were ready to go, suited up in their ‘tacos’, or soccer cleats. Between attacks on the goal, the defense would ring out their shirt and shorts, and get prepared for the next attack. Those who only came in tennis shoes, crocs, or barefoot found themselves slipping and sliding around the field and falling in the mud while trying to win the ball back.
In times when I am not busy with the kids or training for my position, I truly enjoy getting the opportunity to spend some time at the beach. Whether it’s splashing the kids in the water or taking a quick walk on the beach during the sunset, I am in awe of the beauty around me that I hope to never forget to recognize.
I pray all is well! Please keep me in your prayers.
Peace,
Natalie