Four months

Time moves at a strange pace during transitions...rapidly and yet super slow. It seems like we have been here for a long time.  The weeks fly our schedules get busier and it seems like there is no time to make cookies for Christmas or write an email to a friend (or a blog post). And yet when I lay awake at 3am thinking of all I need to do, the minutes tick slowly by until my alarm goes off and I am greeted by Google's "Good morning, Jenny, the time is 4:45AM and it is (whatever temperature) in San Pedro Sula" realizing that somewhere in the midst of the swirling thoughts, I drifted back to sleep. When we do the math, we have been in Honduras four months. Four. Months. That's all. But a super full four months.

July: We landed in Honduras after a full three and half weeks of orientation to MCC in Akron, Pennsylvania. We talked about MCC's philosophy of work, trauma-informed approaches, Planning, Monitoring, Evaluating of projects, supervision of staff, personality temperaments, and more. We left Akron feeling tired, heads full of what we learned and tried to absorb, thinking that it was like drinking from a fire hose (Joel liked to say). 

Joel and kids in front of the Mayan ruins in Copan Ruinas

August: When we arrived in San Pedro Sula, our Area Directors (ADs) met us at the airport. The next day was a whirlwind of school related errands: the kids taking placement tests, shopping for uniforms and school supplies. Then church on Sunday where we were introduced as the new MCC Representatives. That afternoon, a van picked us up and we drove 3 hours to Copan Ruinas where we
studied Spanish for two weeks. Upon our return to SPS, we met our full team (the SALT and YAMEn participants arrived during our language study). I spent a day with them visiting several local partners; Joel traveled 5 days with them to visit partners at a distance. The kids started school. I learned how to call a taxi and had driving lessons in SPS with our AD.

September: So after three weeks in the country we started orientation for our role. Then we had team meetings with our whole team. It was not as organized as we would have liked, but we have a great team and they really helped to organize it. A week or two later, MCC's Coordinator of Educational Projects came to do an evaluation of one of our partners' projects. We were in the country all of 6 weeks. Joel was chosen to oversee that partner by luck of when we initially were talking about it, I was trying to figure out my role with finances for a Country program.

Joel discussing strategic planning with the Advisory Committee

October: I don't remember? Continued learning the finances, State holidays at the beginning where we took advantage of the kids' time off from school to go to the mountains for a few days, continued discussion of the partner evaluation. Figuring out how and when to visit other partners; succeeded in visiting two outside of SPS. Detailed planning for the MCC Central America Regional Retreat hosted by MCC Honduras. Joel and I also met with the Advisory Board to discuss strategic directions for MCC Honduras.

Thanksgiving at our house

November: Is a blur (told you time was warped). It started with a bang...hosting the MCC Honduras-Guatemala Migration Learning Tour at our house for an evening. Thankfully it was catered and all we had to do was rearrange the furniture to have 22 people-13 from the learning tour and then all the MCCers in/around SPS at our house and come up with a presentation about MCC Honduras. Our super helpful Connecting People's Coordinator was then gone for the rest of the month connecting peoples as he led the learning tour around Honduras and accompanied them to Guatemala, visiting projects and partners working on migration. Meanwhile, those left in the office focused quite a bit on the remaining details for the Regional Retreat, hosted two guys from MCC IT and continued to try to figure our our role as Reps. The Regional Retreat was pleasant; not very retreat-y for us but was really great to see friends from orientation eons ago and connect with other reps in the region. At retreat, three lovely Honduran women watched the kids. They joined us when we hosted Thanksgiving for MCCers around SPS the following weekend. And because the kids' school celebrated Thanksgiving and had Black Friday off, we were able to visit another partner.

Church choir

December: The hosting is continuing. It started with a MCC auditor coming and helping us understand more about finances with partners and MCC systems. Ironically, he knew my dad at EMC. That same week, Joel's parents came to visit and are here for 10 days. They have lovingly taken care of us...every dish is washed, dried and put away (usually dishes are washed then drip dry in the drying rack), inventory of MCC belongings of our house is done and they have done Christmas shopping. Saturday is our team Christmas that will hopefully include a hike to the CocaCola sign above SPS. Joel and our daughter joined the Christmas choir at church. And our son lost three of his baby teeth.The tooth fairy has found him in Honduras.

It's been a full four months. The Rep position is one that people say will take a year. I believe it. I am so thankful we have a good team of MCCers who have welcomed us, answered our zillion questions about Honduras, Spanish, MCC and everything else. We have Area Directors who have a wealth of experience in MCC and know the context very well. We have family who are supportive. We have WhatsApp to inform us of what's going on at school, ask questions about homework, see photos of the kids' parties. And when parents find out we are new to the country, they are always willing to answer whatever question we have about how to do things and respond to our thanks with "A la orden. Bendiciones" Literally, "At the order. Blessings" but more like "It was my pleasure to help you.Blessings."