The begining of the journey

What an amazing adventure preparing for, going to and returning from Honduras has been! God continued to show himself at every step of the way. I hope that through these stories you too will see God’s mighty hand in our lives, our team members, supporters and the Honduran people.

The Day We Leave

As we were packing and preparing Josh and I decided to run out and grab a quick bite to eat. We had given his set of keys to a friend who was watching our house. As we shut the door we realized we had grabbed only his set of keys and were locked out!! Suitcases, passports everything for our trip was locked in the house. It was about 5pm and we needed to head to the airport in about 3 hours. We frantically ran to the manager’s office, normally gone, and caught the maintenance man on his way out for the day. Praise God that we were able to get back into our apartment!

As we gathered at the airport we were sent off by all the family members of the rest of the team. Our team of 19 plus about another 18 family members we gathered with excited energy. The check in could not have gone smoother. As we visited one of the airport attendants took care of all of us in such an orderly fashion, with no standing in line. I guess that’s an advantage of leaving at 12pm! As the time arrived for us to head through we were immensely blessed as the families prayed over us and sent us off. I loved the bigger connection of all gathering together for God’s purposes. We felt the love of everyone else’s’ family as our team became a family for one week.

Rule #1 of Missions Trips is Flexibility

After an uneventful flight, with little sleep, we landed in Houston for our 3 hour layover. We were all blessed to grab some grub, relax and play cards before our next flight. It didn’t take long to notice that Pastor Aaron was out of sorts, not his usual laid back, carefree self. His ears had not popped on the decent, resulting in pain, which later led to a numbing sensation in his ear and side of the face. He sought medical advice at the airport and after some prayer and consideration he decided to stay behind and go to the hospital. This happened minutes before we boarded. Money, instructions and farewells were exchanged. Our leader was not headed to Honduras with us. Later we found out that he had a double ear infection and his one eardrum was close to bursting. Praise God that he decided to stay! Later we also learned of God’s protection. Aaron had not meant to bring his own personal debit card, as he had the church credit card. Turns out he ended up needing the card at his hotel in Houston; the church credit card had been passed along in order for us to rent the vans. Coincidence or God plan?

Honduras and "Where's Bob?"

Landing in Honduras was eventful. Apparently the airport is one of the most dangerous due to the mountain you have to angel around, the close proximity of buildings, short runway and cliff at the end! If you are interested here are some videos to give you an idea!

Example number one

Example number two


But we landed! After getting through customs we were ushered through a crowd of people and were being given hugs and hellos by all the Micah boys. Our bags were loaded into a truck and we were taken to lunch at the mall. It was all a whirlwind, or what I like to call controlled chaos.



Loading ALL the luggage



We had a quick pit stop at the hotel and then were off to see the Christ Statue. We were going to walk through the city park and admire the 65.5 foot tall + 12 meter pedestal statue that looks over the city. The city was breathtaking, we could see the landing strip, the soccer stadium and the streets were we would spend some of our time. The statue was also amazing. We got close to the statue as we all huddled under it when we were struck by a terrific rain storm, right when we reached the top of the hill. But we soon realized that we were missing Bob, one of our team members.

Some team members had more fears and hesitancy about this trip than others. Bob was one of those. One common fear was that our stomach would not be compatible with the Honduran food. Well, Bob had his fear realized as we were driving to the park. Upon arrival he hopped out and ran into the woods, without much notice. As we were in route to the statue Bob was on his way to relief. Because of the rainstorm our drivers decided to move the vans closer to where we were so we wouldn’t have to hike back in the rain. (This was not Portland rain people- it was torrential downpour!) When Bob emerged he noticed the vans were gone, but Brain’s truck was still there. He thought about walking to where he thought we were, but didn’t really know how to get there. He decided it best to just stay put. Meanwhile we were still huddled under the statue and as the rain subsided we had an impromptu devotional and geared up for the week ahead. Those of you who know Brain Wiggs, know that he is not short winded, so we were up there for awhile (maybe 45mins). As we got excited and revved up, Bob was anxious that we had completely left him. He attempted to talk to the park guard to ask if he should sit and wait or start to walk. With his limited Spanish and hand gestures the answer he received was “si”  Finally when we loaded the vans to head back to the Micah house, Jamie (Bob’s son) let us know that we really had to find his dad. Brain drove around in the truck looking for him and found him on the road we came in on walking back toward the city! Day one and we had lost one of our members! Thank you Jesus for keeping him safe, and letting us find him before he reached the city! Later that night, I took Bob up to the balcony at the Micah House. I had him look up to the hills where you can see the statue towering over the city and told him; “Bob, I want you to meet Jesus. You were lost, but now you are found!”



Our group overlooking Tegucigalpa (minus Bob and Aaron)



The Micah House



Dinner on the patio at Micah



The Micah house is the home to fifteen young boys, ages 13-19 plus at least one staff member that stays with them. It is a safe haven for the boys who have grown up on the streets or in impoverished homes. The Micah Project strives for the boys to become Christian leaders through discipleship, formal education and opportunities to serve others who are in need. The goal is to support these young men as they learn to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with their God” (Micah 6:8). While we were there the house was always abuzz with energy. There were often people on the patio playing soccer, wrestling or engaging in some other lively activity. In the den the boys can chill out by watching movies, and often someone was playing guitar or talking as well. The kitchen was busy with several amazing women cooking amazing food for MANY people. It is hard to find a quiet space amidst the small rooms. Which is why it will be amazing once Micah 2.0 is built!! The Micah project has the money to purchase 7 acres of beautiful land . . . once they are finished jumping through bureaucratic hoops! The land will allow them to have more room, maybe a separate school room, a place for the technical school, where the boys learn wielding and carpentry, staff housing, and lots of room for the boys to run! Plus the land is located in a small community, unlike their current inner city location. This would help to safeguard the boys from the draw to go back to the streets, hopefully keep the Micah house and van from being vandalized and in addition be a blessing to the community and these boys are strong and hardworking. Please pray for Micah 2.0 journey, and the teams that will go to Honduras to help build this dream into a reality.



Micah Staff admiring the 2.0 land and dreaming about the possibilities



An Answered Prayer

Ana Reanos is an amazing women who has taught and cooked at Micah since the beginning. She has two young children that she raises in a very dangerous part of Tegucigalpa. Her continuous prayer has been to keep her and her family safe. Her other concern had been that she would no longer have a job once the Micah house moved, because she could not travel the distance out to the new site. Putting all her faith in Jesus she put it all in His hands and prayed. We were privileged to be a part of Ana’s answered prayer! Our big project while in Honduras was to clear land, digging an “L” shaped hole and creating the foundation and building up a retaining wall that will become Ana’s home. Our team was honored to present this gift to her, as she had no idea about this plan. It was an emotional presentation for all of us. She was overcome with joy and thankfulness. Denise, a team member, described it as one of those moments on a show like extreme home makeover or Oprah; the difference being this was a God moment!

Jesus, you're my firm foundation

 

Day 1 of foundation; The Men

 

Since we spent so much time at the construction site, it became a theme for us. Our lives are so similar to a construction site. Our duty, along with the Micah boys, members of the community and a construction crew was to first attack the ground with picks and shovels and remove all the unstable soil and rock. Similarly, Jesus chips away at the dirt, and rock and obstacles that stand in the way of us truly knowing and having a relationship with him. The remaining hole was filled with stone and cement creating a solid retaining wall that Ana’s house would sit on. In 1 Corinthians 3:10 Paul tells us about foundations; “by the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other that the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Christ is the bedrock in which our life and character is built upon. Without this solid foundation all will crumble. Paul continues to discuss the importance of the material that we build with, noting that it will be tested. How important it is to build up our life with healthy solid materials, but it cannot be done when Christ is not the first layer. What a powerful metaphor this became for all of us on the trip and in our lives since being back.





Picking away the unstable ground

Removing Rock

What we finished in our time there

Chad showing off how wide the wall is. Chad is 6'5" (?)

CHECK BACK FOR MORE STORIES!

A little light reading

Here are the books I read in 2010:

1. Dear John - Nicholas Sparks
2. Parenting from the Inside Out - Daniel Siegel and Mary Hartzell
*3. Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable love story of an Owl and His Girl - Stacey O' Brien
*4. The Boy who was Raised as a Dog: and other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook - Bruce D. Perry and Maia Szalavitz
*5. The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder - Rebecca Wells
6. The Wisdom Trail; In the Footsteps of Remarkable Women
*7. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
**8. Crazy Love - Francis Chan
9. Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
10. Good Dog. Stay - Anna Quindlen
*11. Little Bee - Chris Cleave
12. Committed: A skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage - Elizabeth Gilbert (Ok so I didn't finish this one - because I disliked it with great passion)
13. Other People's Rejection Letter, Career Killers, and 150 Other Letters You'll be Glad You Didn't Receive - Bill Shaprio (more of a coffee table book)
14. Awkward Family Photos - Mike Bender & Doug Chernack (also a coffee table book)
**15. The Bible NIV - God

KEY
* Books I think you should read
** Books you definitely should read

On blogging

I've been thinking about blogging lately. Why no one blogs anymore, why I don't blog anymore. Wondering if Facebook has taken place of blogging? Do we really only have time to read one liners about someones life, do we only have time to write one liners?

Would anyone read my blog if I started writing again? Would I have anything to say? Why do I continue to read the blogs I do? Here are some more thoughts

• I feel a lot of pressure when blogging, like I have to say something profound- something worthy of blogging - most of the time I don't have anything - that is also why I don't post on Facebook.
• The blogs I read don't often have anything profound to say - they write consistently, usually about the day, thoughts, observations and the like. Or they have a purpose - like a daily recipe, craft or on the topic of faith.

I would like to say that I am now going to commit to blogging more, but I can not. I do however miss blogging and it gives me satisfaction, so maybe out of that enjoyment I will blog more . . . who knows?

Chinese Gardens

Our public library has this amazing cultural pass program where you can sign up and receive two free adult passes to various places around Portland. Several Saturdays ago Josh signed us up for the Chinese Gardens. We took a picnic lunch and had a great day!

Some of the beautiful greenery.

There is great texture and beauty throughout the gardens.

So if you are in the area sign up for a Washington County libray card and go somewhere!

Honeymoon - Part II

Ok here is part two! A picture of us on the beach one evening.

Here we are at this amazing lagoon. Where we spend time snorkeling. While there we saw some amazing fish and a sting ray!

This is part of Tulum, some Mayan ruins.

We saw iguanas! They were awesome.

How much more touristy do you get?

Honeymoon - Part I

I know this is long overdue, but here are some pictures from our honeymoon. We had an amazing time in Cancun.

Here is the view from our room:

It also overlooked the pool

Our all-inclusive resort had several different pools and restaurants. It was awesome.

We saw Lenny Kravitz . . .

. . . and Kiss . . .

. . . at Coco Bongo, a club that does impersonations

Josh wrestled an angry Gypsy . .

and we took pictures with Spiderman.

Spiderman tried to steal me away and Josh almost had to beat him up!

Josh was leery of the native alligator

Stay tuned for some more pictures!

Lessons In Marriage

In one month of being married I have learned a few lessons:

1. How to share the bed covers . . . . well I'm still working on this.
2. Not to expect left overs or my half eaten candy bar to still be there when I come back for them.
3. How much fun married life is.
4. Asking for what you want is more likely to happen if you ask nicely
5. Not to shut the bedroom door completely when I leave otherwise the hubby will be locked in (our apartment is old and the door is warped, so you can imagine his surprise when he woke up and could not get out of the bedroom!)
6. How to be patient and loving.

I'm am looking forward to all our years to come. To continued growing, learning and bonding. I love you Josh - Happy one month anniversary!

* More pictures and stories to come!

Good Weekend

As summer nears we have started doing more outside activities. I love it. This last weekend we saw the fireworks that were apart of the rose festival. Unfortunately I forgot my camera. We were standing on the Morrison Bridge - front and center of where the fireworks were going off. Saturday we went hiking at Saddle Mountain with some good friends (Noah and Jessica) Who sadly are moving back to Alaska at the end of the month. Here are some pictures:

I was really pleased with the way this picture turned out. Can you see the forest through tress?

It was foggy, which made for some cool pictures

Josh and I on a bridge.

Can you count the rings?

Yea! Noah, Jessica, Josh and I made it to the top! There is supposed to be a beautiful view, but we couldn't see it.

Nothing to say?

How can I have nothing to say in such a busy and overwhelming time in my life? Have you ever had so much going on that you have no time to process, digest and dish it out?

Engagement: such a strange, wonderful whirlwind. It has gone so fast! There is just over two months left. Which means we have been engaged for almost 6 months. We still have a lot to do/plan. I've realized that wedding planning is not my calling. It has been a lot of fun working to make our day special and unique, but I will be glad once the day is here. I cant wait to celebrate the day with family and friends, but most of all I can't wait to be married to Joshua Akers.

Internship: such a strange, wonderful whirlwind. Being in a high school setting is somewhat surreal. Being there brings me new perspective on myself and has caused me to relive memories and moments that seem like yesterday. I look forward to working with the students and their families. The challenges are many; drugs, gangs, depression, peer-pressure. The rewards/blessing vast; an amazing high school/counseling staff, amazing learning opportunities, closer to having a masters degree!

Classes: not bad right now. Which is good because I am paying a lot of money for them! All in all I am mostly done with classes. I have several left, but mostly I'll be able to just focus on internship.

Work: paying the bills. As I get closer to being done with school I get more antsy to stop serving people food and start providing therapy.

Life: is that what is flying by?

God: is teaching me so much. I am learning to trust, rely and depend on Him. It is a continually process that takes work every single day.

By the way - what's up with my sidebar? How do I fix it?

Seasons

Ecclesiastes 3. 1-8
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.


Unlike the weather in Portland the seasons of my life have been moving quickly. Very quickly. It seems that at times before I even realize I am in a season that time has passed. I have been meditating on this verse for some time now. It applies to all aspects of life right now.

One of which is: internship. As part of my graduate program I have to do an internship. Actual experience counseling people. Internship is the source of stress, anxiety and tears for many grad students. Just securing a site is an ordeal as you compete with your peers in interviews much like job interview, except you don't get paid.

The time between when I secured my site and my start date (about two months) has been full of fear and anxiety. Almost overwhelmingly so. I questioned my abilities and competencies. I was stuck in this place. It is not a good place to be at. It is not conducive to movement. A place of fear holds you captive and disables you.

About a week ago something shifted. I became unstuck. I realized that this is a new season for me. It is a season of learning and growing. It is a season of being vulnerable to "not knowing it all." A season to try and retry. I do have the skills and competencies. I am not a seasoned therapist . . . Yet. We all start somewhere.

This new place is a better place to be at. More free, open and rewarding. Not that the fear and anxiety has completely disappeared . . .

Plus more blogs to come . . *




* Hopefully

One Year

Today marks one year since the heart wrenching event at Virgina Tech. How soon we forget.

The university president said "while the passage of time has helped us in many ways, we remain deeply and profoundly saddened by the events of that tragic day." Of course they would but what about those of us who weren't directly impacted? I have to admit that it wasn't on my radar. Who had time or energy to remember everything. That really isn't my point here. I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the lives that were lost, to join the mourners, lift up prayers for friends and families, and to look forward.

May God's providence be with those at Virgina Tech. May the blessing of peace be with families and friends.

Spring!

I love spring time! I love the warm weather, the smell, the activities and of course March madness that all come with spring.
Here is a spring poem for you

Spring
by Robert Frost

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid-air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.


HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING!

Wedding Updates

Alright, I know I've been pretty bad about updating this blog. I have TONS to write and say, but very little time. But here is what I'll start with.



Our official date is August 9th, 2008. Here is our place! It has a big beautiful back yard and I am so excited to be married there!

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I think I have the dress picked out, but I can't post that here. Working on colors and such, and am hoping to send out save the dates soon.

Also our wedding website is: http://www.joshandkristi.us/

It is still a work in progress, but check it out! And sometime I will post about the rest of my life, thoughts and theories on Lost

The Year in Review

I meant to post this on January 1st, but we have been very busy sharing our exciting news with others. BTW no exact date set, just sometime in August (maybe the 9th)

2007

JANUARY

1. Who kissed you on New Years? Josh - on the check because I was very sick

2. Did you have a New Year’s Resolution this year? To be the best I could be. (sounds like the army)

3. Does it snow where you live? Sometimes

4. Do you like hot chocolate? Yep, Land Of Lakes is my favorite .

5. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop? Nope, but I'd like to do it once just for the experience.

FEBRUARY

1. Who was your Valentine? Josh. We went and saw Snow Patrol (a Christmas gift)

2. When you were little did you buy Valentines for the whole class? Yeah. One year I even made them. Or rather Mom made them!

3. Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not? Yes

4. What did you receive for Valentines Day? Well Snow Patrol tickets were a Christmas gift . . .so maybe dinner?

5. Are you a leap year baby? No

MARCH

1. Are you Irish? Yes. And English, French, German, Swedish and Italian. What a mutt!

2.Do you like corned beef and cabbage? No way

3. What did you do for St. Patty’s Day in 2007? I don't think anything.

4. Are you happy when winter is pretty much over? Sad that snowboarding season is over, but very happy to see the sun!

APRIL

1. Do you like the rain? Not really. Maybe I'm living in the wrong city. .

2. Did you play an April fool’s joke on anyone this year? No

3. Do you get tons of candy for Easter? No.

4. Do you love the month of April? Its alright.

MAY

1. What is your favorite flower? Sunflower?

2. Finish the phrase “April showers…”:Bring may flowers. Duh.

3. Do you celebrate May 16th: National Piercing Day? Never heard of it.

4. Is May anything special to you? For now its around the time when Spring Semester ends

JUNE

1. What year did/will you graduate from high school? 2001.

2. Did you do anything fun during this Month? It's my birthday

3. Have a favorite baseball team? Not a big baseball fan

JULY

1. What did you do on the 4th of July? Went camping. Got eaten my millions of mosquitoes. There were immune to the bug spray - crazy!

2. Did you go to the fireworks? No

3. Did you blast the A/C all day? No I swam in the freezing river.

4. Is somebody's birthday this month? Oh, not that I can think of off the bat.

AUGUST

1. Did you do anything special at the end of your summer? Moved!

2. What was your favorite summer memory of ‘07'? Just hanging out with friends and family.

3. Did you have a sunburn?Yeah, I always do. But not as bad as Josh.

4. Did you go to the pool a lot? I took up swimming laps in my apartment pool. Very therapeutic.
SEPTEMBER

1. Will you be attending college/school? Yep, still working on the MFT degree.

2. Do you like fall better than summer? No.

OCTOBER

1. What was your last Halloween costume? This year I dressed up like a road.

2. What is your favorite candy?Skittles

3. What was your favorite thing(s) about this month? Going to the Roloff farm.

NOVEMBER

1. Whose house do you go to for Thanksgiving? Josh's parents

2. What are you thankful for?My friends and family. Good health, God and all the many blessings in my life

3. Do you love stuffing? Only Stovetop

4. Do you go shopping the day after Thanksgiving? No way!

DECEMBER

1. Do you celebrate Christmas? Of course!

2. Have you ever been kissed under the mistletoe? Not that I recall.

3. Get anything special last year? Can't really remember

4. What do you get this year? A ring! A new computer and a tent! I made out like a bandit

5. What do you love most about December? Spending time with friends and family and Christmas music