Every end is a beginning...

Well I’m back in the U.S. Getting to the airport at noon for a 1:15 AM flight wasn’t exactly the greatest ting ever, but I was able to get some reading in. I’m still trying to get my body back on a good sleep cycle after staying up for over 24 hours. But it is certainly good to be home and have a couple weeks to rest before really getting back into the swing of things. I am enjoying the company of my parents in Georgia at present and then will spend a few days back in Searcy with my sister’s family as well as getting to see a few friends before going on to Nebraska, where I will begin at the University of Nebraska at Kearney to certify to teach Spanish.

So what can I say now that it’s all done? I made most of my closing remarks in the last blog, so if you missed it, you can check that one out. However, I will still say a bit here. The last six months+ has been a whirlwind, preparing for a couple months and then just over 4 months in Central America. It has been a time to reevaluate and refocus, a time to listen and abide, a time to be reminded of a bigger picture. It was a blessing to offer a couple months of English to people who find that knowing English is becoming more and more valuable to them. It was a blessing to share laughs and casual “conversations” with my students. I especially loved interacting with some of the younger ones who always manage to bring out the simple joy of living. My school in Guatemala and all the activities associated with it could not have easily been a more enjoyable experience. The people, the learning, the climate, the exposure, the sights, were all amazing and I recommend it to anyone who even remotely thinks that travel and/or learning Spanish sounds interesting.

Honduras was not as comfortable climate-wise, but brought several meaningful relationships and positive lessons. I’m still processing through my experiences and letting things come to me, so it is difficult to express what some of those lessons might be at present. Perhaps a simple one is just to be reminded that despite so much effort and energy to do so, I do not and cannot control my circumstances the way my pride and my comfort would like to believe. It was easier down there to remember that, and to look to God. I am thankful to be back in the U.S., but I know that remembering this simple truth will now be more difficult…. but then again, who knows what might be coming to test my faith. In the name of the Living God, I say in respect and humility, “Bring it on!” (not to be confused with a mid-grade cheerleading flick ).

By way of summary of the various projects or one-time activities that I was involved with in Honduras:
-Teaching 5 English classes in 4 different towns
-Building a decent house for a woman living house made of mud with no floor
-Building a classroom for the church in Las Casitas
-Helping Jorge and his family move into the Resource Center
-Purchasing in bulk and then packaging food packs to be distributed to poor families
-Entertaining a group of children at the EBH (Honduras Bible School) property while their parents were at a special seminar at the church building. This event included me telling the story of Joseph to the kids with a translator while the kids had a snack, quite fun! (shout out to Sarah on that particular idea).
-Assisting Jorge in various specifics by being another driver. Things such as bringing his wife home from the center when he was in Tegucigalpa, carting trash to the dump, dropping off and picking up vehicles from the mechanic, and giving a few rides to my students when there wasn’t a large group to walk home with at night (that one wasn’t for Jorge)
-One opportunity to expressly share the love of God with a 17 year-old guy having problems at home; an opportunity that arose naturally because he grew to trust me over the course of our English class together. I consider this one of the highlights of my trip.

I may continue to blog on occasion, but I will probably create a new blog to do so, leaving this one exclusively for this trip to Central America. If anyone would still like to receive updates as I continue my journey forward, comment on this blog, send me an email, or facebook me. Thank you so very much for your support over the last several months. Your prayers, your encouragement, and your financial support, has all been vital to this all being possible. I pray that the Lord of the harvest will raise up workers from among us all to go out into the harvest and reap what God has been faithful to grow. May the Lord bless you and keep you as you continue on this journey.

Grace and Peace,
Bryan

P.S. After a short email exchange with my sister I was motivated to find out what that fruit was that I mentioned in the last entry. If you're curious, here is a link:
http://www.menuism.com/blog/exotic-fruits-rambutan-the-hairy-fruit/