Downtime

It’s Saturday morning, June 25, 2016.  I’m sitting at Helen’s Resort in LaCeiba, Atlantida, Honduras looking out over the Carribbean as the sun paves a golden and silver pathway across the water to the horizon. 

                The team traveled yesterday from Raista and it is an arduous journey.  We were packed and ready for the day by 6:00 am and listened to a short, but powerful devotion from Dr. Ben.  Breakfast eaten and good-by’s said, we boarded the canoes.  I find myself experiencing anew aspects of these trips and wondering which one is my favorite.  The boat ride from Raista to Palacios is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, one of my absolute favorites!

                It is a time of reflection, a time to think, a time to consider.  We have expended our energies over the past few days engaging with people of a culture drastically different from what we know back home.  This team has connected with the people of LaMoskitia powerfully.  If you have been reading this blog since April, you know that I was with a medical team here a couple of months back. 

                The medical team was strong and impacted the lives of over 900 people from the LaMoskitia region, but the connections were not the same.  The team I am with now has connected deeply with these people, in a powerful and deeply meaningful way.  Their lives have been changed; our lives have been changed.  I have watched the members of this team give of themselves out of love for the fellow man and out of a desire to serve God.  I am humbled to be a part of this!!  Part of my heart was left behind in Raista and the hope is that I will soon return.

                I traveled yesterday with the Honduran members of the team; three members from the Water With Blessings and one young man from a youth development organization.  The language of the day was Spanish and I basked in the exposure of listening to the language.  It brings to mind the other language learning experiences I have had in my life.  Exposure.  One needs to spend lots and lots of time listening to the language, learning how to discriminate words.  My Hondurans friends and I had an enjoyable, albeit very long day together.

                I’ve noticed that I recall my dreams almost nightly while in Honduras.  This is very unique for me as I seldom remember my dreams.  I spoke with my Dream Master last night and he suggested that it is because our lives are simplified here.  We do not have the clutter of our day to day lives of back home and therefore, our minds are freed to explore the wanderings of our sleep.  I like it. 

                I feel a very powerful bond with the members of this team.  Many (most) of them knew each other previously, but they have opened their arms and welcomed me into the group warmly.  I will miss them all.

                I was doing a happy dance last night.  For the first four days I was here I was consumed with pressure about completing work for my Public Health studies.  I had to prepare and perform a video presentation on toxoplasmosis (a parasite cat feces contains).  On Tuesday evening, I made my presentation to Doctors Ben and Tom and Team Leader Michael on the shores of Ibans Lagoon.  That was the easy part.  Michael video’d it for me and for the next 12 hours I endeavored to upload the files to Dropbox.  Lesson learned:  Use YouTube for these types of efforts.  YouTube alogorithms must be vastly better than Dropbox for video upload.  If you need more info on this, please contact me at hkenson@cox.net  Anyway, I got my grades last evening and I received all A’s!!  Ken is a HAPPY camper.

                The team will rest and relax today, and I’m sure we will recollect and ponder and consider how our lives have been changed.  I stand in awe of the God of the universe and the opportunities He has for us!!