HALEY HARRIS

 Hi everyone,          

 Internet is not exactly something I can count on here in Honduras so my newsletters are sporadic at best, at least for now. Life, these past few weeks, has brought many new lessons and reminders of lessons I have learned in the past.                     .                          

 When you move to a new place, no matter what, you have expectations and theories on what it will be like and how everything should go. I was not surprised to find that my expectations were completely unfounded. I did not think that I would be decorating five layered cakes, cooking for twenty-five girls, becoming an Excel expert, organizing a library, becoming the PE and art teacher… a long list of other minor things follows. Even though I did not expect these things
 and some of them I am horrid at I would not want to be anywhere else.

 I was listening to a sermon on my iPod by Erwin McManus and he asked the question “Why are you doing what you are doing?” my mind was screaming because God told me too. If I were to list all of the things in my life that I have done because I simply wanted to it would be a hundred times longer than the list of my obedience to God, but for this moment in my life I am following hard after Him.

 It took me getting sick to really sit down and have honest conversations with God about how I was emotionally and spiritually feeling. Sometimes when things get busy here, which is most days, I just run on auto pilot and do not try to think about what God is doing in my life. My sickness lasted for a while and it seemed like just as I would get over one thing another would happen thankfully I am better now, but even in my sickness God was teaching me things.

 I had been having a hard time with the girls being disobedient and I had no idea how to address it. My first reaction was to get angry and use harsh words with them because they knew better. During the time that I was sick I was listening to a sermon on the topic of relationships. Through this sermon God showed me that my reaction to the girls should always be in love. When I get upset with them I now start praying and the words that come from my mouth are completely different.

 The girls are just like any little girls they love to play house, watch movies, dress up… the list is very long of what they love. I have been doing all these things with them but it just seemed that
 there was an invisible line that they would not let me pass. As I was picking Coffee on my birthday I felt that barrier slowly fall. I know it will take a while for them to understand me and for me to understand them but it is happening.                            .

 On a cultural note one of the girls here, Norma, turned fifteen this past month and we had a huge party for her, think wedding combined with sermon and thanksgiving and you will come close to imagining what it was like. It was an experience that helped me to understand more of the culture and it showed me how much the girls love one another.
 Blessings,

 Haley