Love and Pepsi in Honduras

"Jesus said, 'The first in importance is, 'Listen Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.' And here is the second: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' There is no other commandment that ranks with these." Mark 12:31, MSG

In my personal life, this is the commandment that is the hardest for me to follow. I know I was born with a selfish heart, one that seeks to serve my self-serving desires. How do I find a way to love others more than myself? Many people believe that being a missionary is the epitome of selflessness, but let me tell you, it's far from the end of battle. It's still a struggle everyday to constantly seek God in every relationship I have.

I feel unequal in most of my relationships here in Honduras. I'm supposed to be here to create relationships that edify Christ and give memories that will last a lifetime. Instead, I find faults in myself while I learn about true faith from them. In reality, they're the missionaries to me. In these past nine months, I have seen faith, reliance, trust, love, hope, and selflessness in a way that's indescribable. All I can say is that God is truly working in Honduras. He has His hand in the day-to-day lives of these people, and He has great plans for them. 

The best example I can tell you is perhaps one of the most simple. Just to refresh your memory, my family and I work at a boarding school for underprivileged boys. The students are able to receive cash from their parents to spend in La Tienda, a small snack shop we have on campus. Some boys receive 100 Lps. ($5) a week, while some receive none at all. So many times I have seen a boy lay down all of his money just to buy a three liter of Pepsi to share with his friends. Many of these boys only receive a dollar occasionally, and they lay it all down for moments of fun and sharing with their friends. You would not believe how far those three liters go! They can easily split one of those between thirty kids! And they will share with anyone. Best friend? Pepsi. Acquaintance? Pepsi. Enemy I argued with yesterday? Pepsi. You would be amazed by the effect just a few minutes of time has on people. I've seen enemies turned best friends over something as frivolous as a bag of chips. This is just a small example of the love I have seen in Honduras. Families with no food giving half their money to buy chairs for their growing church, barbers giving their services to the homeless for free, fruit vendors giving away their livelihood so those without food can eat. These people are following  Jesus' two biggest commandments in a way that amazes me. They prove it's the simple gestures that mean everything. No amount of money or things can match anything I've seen in Honduras.

Honduras is a nation in the process of seeking God's heart in all things. Please pray for its welfare and wisdom to heal a broken nation. 

Halftime in Honduras

It's incredibly hard to believe that I've already been in Honduras for nine months. This is the halfway point in one of the most amazing journeys I have ever undertaken. A lot has been accomplished since the time I've been here! My parents learned Spanish (Though it's not as good as mine!), I made lots of new friends, I went to two different high schools, and so on. This time of the year is really a good time to reflect on all that has happened so far. The boys are out of school until January, so the time will drag by until they come back. Things get pretty lonely around here, and there's not so many people to talk to! But I know once they come back, the time will be flying by until I come home.

I'm feeling pretty conflicted about coming home. On one hand, yes, I miss all of you and I'm excited to be back. But on the other hand, I'm leaving a country that I've also called home for three years of my life. And that's a big deal. In a perfect world, I would bring everyone I care about here, and we would all be set! I'm sure all of you with the cold weather would be fine living in 80 degree weather year round!

The other big thing I'm thinking about now is college. Only nine more months and I'll be going to college! For those of you that don't know, I've chosen University of Northwestern, St. Paul. It's my dream school, and I don't know if I've ever been this excited for anything! I know God's got His hand in this, and I'm ready to see what He has in store for me at UNW.

Thank you, guys, for all the support I get down here. It's a great feeling to be here and to hear from my friends and family back home. If you ever want to talk to me, drop me a line! I'd love to tell anyone more about what's going on in my life, or how much I still love frozen pizza.

Hammock Time

I have decided hammocks are the greatest invention ever. My dad finished hanging three hammocks on our front porch today, and I’ve spent much of the day lounging around and napping on them. They’re cozy, offer a good view, and give you time to relax. Fun fact: the hammock was actually invented in Central America by the Aztecs. Man, I love Honduras.

The Pig Barn

If you had told me a seemingly short five years ago that now I would be the boss of a pig barn, I would probably laugh right in your face. For those who know me...I'm not much of the farming type, you know? Born in the city, raised in the city, I just really love city! But, God has a way of working in the most wayward of us, and that's how I ended up working in a pig barn.

After school and lunch, all the boys at El Sembrador have to go work for two hours every weekday and four hours on Saturday. They're organized into thirteen groups of seven. One person is the coordinator and in charge of all the students in the group. When I came here, I wanted to fit in as much  as possible with the boys. I wanted them to feel like I was one of them. So I joined the work roster. I was put in group number two, and we took the quarter-mile walk to the porquerisa, or pig barn.

There are four areas of the porquerisa. There's the feed making area, the maternity ward, the pens for adult pigs for sale, and the pens for the birthing pigs. When my group of seven went to porquerisa, I went to the pens for adult pigs. Generally, the smaller people go and do that job, because there's heavy lifting in feed making, and the birthing pigs outweigh me by half. There's twelve pens in the adult's area, and each is filled with about 40 pigs. My job, usually along with two or three other boys, is to scoop the poop down the slight incline to the grate, and then scrub the floor with water and a broom.

I worked at that job for two weeks, and when it came time to leave, I didn't want to! Nick Solheim wanted to be around nasty, 200 pound pigs?! Gross! Not to mention the fact I had to shower for thirty minutes everyday just to get the smell out of my skin! But, my favorite thing about the job was that it was something I could do without thinking. I could be cleaning, and talk to the boys. Find out when their family visited, what they were excited for, what their favorite flavor of ice cream is. I loved everything about it!

Soon, after a few weeks, the jefe (boss) of all the work came to me and asked me to be the coordinator of all boys that come to the pig barn. So now, I not only scoop pig poop, but I get to tell other boys how to do it!

This is a great blessing to me, because throughout this year as the boys rotate, I will get to know every single one. What an opportunity God has dropped in my lap for ministry! I think with all that, I can get over the smell!

Tudo Em Um Ritmo (All In One Rhythm, FIFA 2014)

Experiencing the World Cup in a soccer-obsessed country is an unforgettable experience. It's almost impossible to describe, but for the sake of the reader, I suppose I must try.

Let me start specifically with Honduras' history in the World Cup, or el Mundial as it's known here. Honduras has only made it to the World Cup only three times: In 1982, 2010, and 2014. Compare this with a mind-blowing 14 out of 19 World Cups for Spain, and you can see why this is so exciting for us. Especially after 2010's humiliation (2 losses, 1 tie), Honduras is back and looking for redemption. Yet, thus far, they've lost to France 3-0.

Even if Honduras hadn't made it, the country would still be in a frenzy. Let me put it this way: 97% of this country's favorite sport is soccer. 3% prefer basketball, which is the same percentage as hockey in the United States (Sorry Uncle Greg!). For this nation, and most of the world, soccer, or football, is a way of life, not just a sport. Street kids create makeshift soccer balls out of coconuts and plastic bags. At El Sembrador, boys play futbolito every chance they get.

Soccer is ingrained in this country, and many, many others across the world. This next month will certainly be a whirlwind of activity here, with everyone enjoying the matches. Make sure you enjoy the rest of Honduras' matches!

Ecuador vs. Honduras Friday, June 20th 6 PM ET
Honduras vs. Switzerland Wednesday, June 25th 4 PM ET

Jesucristo

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your house.

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