Iglesia

Besides my home and work life, another area that has experienced a big change since coming to Honduras is my church life.  I grew up going to a fairly liberal Mennonite church in California.  I then moved with my family an hour away and attended the contemporary service of a Presbyterian church for another almost ten years.  While in college I attended church most Sundays, although I usually didn’t decide which one I would go to until the night before.  Now that I have been settled in Nueva Suyapa for 2 months, I definitely consider myself a “regular attender” of the church my host mom attends—La Sala Evangelica.  This church is different from any that I have ever attended before, mainly because it’s more conservative than any church I have been a part of before.  It is required for women to wear a head covering of some kind, and to wear a skirt that falls below the knees.  People that have not been baptized have to sit in a separate section on the side of the church, and cannot take communion (thank goodness I was baptized this past summer so I don’t have to sit by myself).  There are also other restrictions put on women that I find difficult to understand, like women can’t pray out loud and women can’t start a song (they can whisper a song to a man, who can then start the song).  On Sundays, we sing a lot of hymns, which I really like.  Most people have been singing these songs since they were born so they know them all by heart; if I’m lucky someone will have a hymn book for me to use.  Communion is taken every Sunday at my church.  During this time the bread (sweet bread!  It’s delicious) is passed around.  Once everyone has eaten a big bite of bread, the wine (yes, wine) is passed around in a big goblet.  At first all I could think of was how many germs were being spread around when everyone drinks out of the same cup, but thankfully the goblet-passer wipes the rim with a cloth at the end of each row.  I then do my best to understand what is being said during the 45 minute sermon.  I try not to zone out, but sometimes it’s so easy to get distracted by roosters crowing or kids yelling outside.  Sometimes vehicles honk their horns so loud and for so long that the pastor has to stop and wait awhile.  After church I am encouraged to go to a jovenes (youth) Sunday school thing for another hour.  I am usually exhausted after this, but I know it’s good to go.

Although I have a hard time understanding and accepting certain practices in the church and it is much different from what I am used to, there are a lot of things I like about it.  The speakers I have listened to seem to really want to make the world (first, this community) a better place.  They acknowledge problems and seek solutions.  I also really like the people and am starting to recognize more people each week.  A lot of the members also work at Genesis (the school where I work) so it’s a good way to build relationships there too. 

Oh, also there are church services of some kind every Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  So I have plenty to choose from.  I usually just go Sundays, maybe another day during the week with my host mom, and Saturdays.  Saturdays are grupo de jovenes (youth group), and have become another normal part of my week… not always the most enjoyable (definitely not the most comfortable) part of my week, but always interesting.  I have learned to come at least 15 or 20 minutes late each time.  Otherwise, either no one will be there or people will be sitting around not really doing anything… I’m trying to avoid awkward situations like this and coming “late” seems to be perfect.  Am I right in thinking that in the States, youth group is usually for jr. high or high school students?   That’s what I always considered it to be, but here youth group is basically for anyone not married.  Our group generally has a few kids from the school (5^th grade), some high school students, a couple my age, and a few who are definitely older.  To illustrate the idea that there is no set age range, let’s look at last Saturday.  Shortly after the group started, a mom came with her tiny baby who was immediately passed around to every female.  About a half hour later, a woman who had to be at least 85 walked in with her cane and giant bible (it was really the biggest bible I have ever seen, which I thought was hilarious because Hondurans tend to have the tiniest bibles I have ever seen).  We then had an age range from a few months to possibly 90 at our youth group.  No one except me seemed to find this funny. 

Anyway, during youth group they always start by singing a ton of fast-paced songs, so again if someone doesn’t happen to have a song book I just sit there and try to figure out a few of the words.  Sometimes the songs involved standing up and sitting down randomly, or clapping, stomping, etc.  I probably look awesome during this time.  It never ceases to amaze me how many humbling experiences I can have every day.  We then listen to a guy speak for awhile, and I (being the only gringa), inevitably get picked on at some point during the speech.  Sometimes before going home we play an interactive game of some kind—for example, racing to find bible verses that relate to a Spanish song we know (I don’t know Spanish bible verses or Spanish songs, which is a problem).  These can be kind of fun sometimes, but it’s usually my least favorite part because I often have no idea what’s going on.  After the whole thing is over I try to chat with a couple people, and by this time it’s dark so I have to find someone to walk me home. 

I’m really thankful to be a part of a church that is so loving and welcoming, and one that stretches me.  I could have chosen to go to one that is closer to what I am used to, but what’s the fun in that?  I’m not sure that I could go to this church for the rest of my life, but for this year I think it’s perfect. 

Teguc Transportation

Something I have been working on lately is being more independent.   I like the idea of being able to get around by myself, and one way I can have the freedom to do that is to learn the public transportation system in Teguc.   I still have a lot to learn but I want to share some things that I have learned.  

There are basically four types of public transportation in this city.  The first is the bus.  These are old, yellow school buses sent here from the States.  For me, these are frustrating to ride because they’re extremely slow.  When they go up the slightest hill I’m pretty sure I could jog faster than it is going, and they often seem like they are about to break down.  I’ve been on several that have broken down.  They also have an unlimited capacity for passengers.  They squeeze as many people as possible, and then somehow they still fit more.  As a result, they are not the safest option.  It’s pretty easy to get robbed in this kind of situation.  For me it’s also too close for comfort at times.  The upside to taking a bus, and reason most people use them, is that it’s the cheapest type of transportation— only 3 lempiras (there are about 20 lmps in a US dollar). 

The second type, and my favorite, is the rapidito.  They were introduced to Suyapa only about a year ago, and I’m so glad they were.   I know I sound like an American, but they are so much faster and more efficient than buses and I love it.  They also have a limited number of passengers they’re allowed to hold, so when the seats are full they’re not supposed to pick up anyone else.  That means it’s also safer.  Because of all these luxuries, it’s 10 lmps but for me it’s usually worth it.  Luckily,  my house is right by the bus/rapidito terminal.  By “terminal”, I mean the place where the buses line up on the side of the road.  If I want a rapidito, I hop on the one closest to the front and they leave every 5 minutes.  If I want a bus I get on the one with its tires turned out toward the street the most, or the one that looks least likely to break down.   If I am in a different part of town and want to catch a bus or rapidito back home, I wait in a designated area which is not marked or obvious at all… you just have to memorize where they are and make sure to get on the right one.  Rapiditos all have certain routes, so depending where you go you also have to remember which rapidito to get on (same goes for buses). 

The third type of transportation is the colectivo taxi.  These are taxis stationed at different places around the city that have set routes.  They always will try to fill up the car before leaving.  It is also a set rate at 12 lmps.  I think colectivos are great, the tough thing is that you have to figure out where “yours” are (for me, the ones going to Nueva Suyapa) so that you don’t end up going to the wrong place.  Again, there is no way to figure this out except to ask people and then memorize. 

The last type is the taxis directo.  These are basically like taxis in the States, where you flag one down on the street and set a price with the driver before leaving.  These are a lot more expensive— depending where you’re going they can be around 100 lmps.  If you’re trying to get back to Nueva Suyapa at night, it’s probably more expensive because the colonia has a reputation for being so dangerous.  Sometimes drivers won’t even drive to Suyapa at night, and if they do they often won’t go past a certain point.  This is a problem because it’s not safe to walk around outside at night, so it’s important to get a driver who will take you right to your door.  Luckily, I have some phone numbers of drivers who are trustworthy and who I can call if I need to be picked up.  This hasn’t really been an issue for me yet though because I never really go out at night. 

Unfortunately, my independence is being limited because of the situation in Honduras, and specifically in Suyapa.  My host mom, Doña Juanita, has been more protective of me than usual lately because crime has been increasing.  I am frustrated with the violence in the colonia because it gives us even more of a reputation than we already had.  This is a topic for another time though. 

I’m still learning so much every day, and public transportation is just one of those things.  The school year is coming to a close (school ends this Friday, and starts back up in February), so I am busy planning for my vacation reading programs.  I’ll talk more about that when I have more answers.  I’m getting excited about it though! 

You may know that the Bolivian government is not extending the visas of MCC workers in Bolivia… that means that six SALTers are getting kicked out of the country within a couple weeks, after just getting settled with families and jobs.  I don’t know where all they will be going, but pray that the transition goes smoothly.  I can’t imagine that would be easy. 

Thanks to everyone for reading!