Lago de Yojoa

last weekend we went with bob, kathy, dani, amy, and aaron to Lake Yojoa (yo...ho..uh) and had a blast hiking, zip lining, seeing coffee plants, passion fruit trees, buying pineapples for about .25 cents each, and eating fried fish that we picked out ourselves. I picked out the ¨marble swirl¨one. mmmm mmmm good! Praise God for great friends and little day trips! We had an awesome time! Thanks Bob and Kathy for taking us! Beto and I hadn´t been out of this little town since we got back January 6th and we really needed to get out for awhile! It really helped!

Lago Chiligatoro

There´s another fun name for you to say...chili...guh..toro...a lake close by to where we live. we got to go another sunday on a picnic and take miguel. it was beautiufl and i got to touch a real live cow, close up! i´m really getting a lot of animal life lately! the missionaries we were with are farmers and we were on a property that had about 7 cows and some babies, so he took the rope and rounded them up and brought over a baby only like 4 days old or something like that. i felt bad for it. it looked like he had a toupee on top of his head. it was a really fun day! oh, and for fun, mateo ¨cleaning¨the fridge!

Miguel

He is becoming more and more a part of the family, and about 3 weeks ago he became part of our spiritual family. He went one day to help Beto at one of his house painting jobs and after talking with Beto for awhile and Beto asking him if he wanted to give his heart to Jesus, he said yes. The owner of the house is also a Christian and Beto asked him if he would come pray with them. After Miguel prayed Beto asked him how he felt. ¨Muy rico¨, he said. Literally, ¨very rich¨but something like ëxcellent!
Thanks for your prayers for him and us. He is consistently going to church with us and helps Beto at least once a week at work or around the house, and is a great playmate for Mateo. About two weeks ago we were again invited to a picnic with the Owens and Dani to a lake nearby and he got to go with us.

Last Sunday after church we invited some friends over for lunch (Beto´s pizza) and we faced our first challenge, that of social class differences. The visitors are rather wealthy for this area and have 3 kids between the two families. We don´t know what really happened, kid stuff, but Miguel felt really left out and felt like the other kids didn´t want to play with him and that even Mateo didn´t want to play with him and Beto found him over in a corner outside crying. My heart broke for him and got a little angry too at the situation, though I love both families. I had one child in one class last year in the school and they are great people. Miguel has a longer attention span and stayed inside watching a movie while they went out to play. I am just thankful Beto was able to talk to him and it ended up being a great day for everyone.

Please continue to pray for him and us. Recently a neighbor donated a lot of school supplies to Miguel but we´re pretty sure he´s still not going to any school. We are praying how we can help him get his education.

City girl meets country chicken

You know, being a city girl in the country and being a newlywed can be a pretty bad combination. I love so many things about living in the country: the peace and quiet, the simple way of living, not needing a car, getting lots of exercise and eating fresh healthy foods. But I learned one thing I really don’t like about living in the country: cooking a whole chicken.
I’d never had to skin and cut up a whole chicken before. Usually I buy the parts I want, but in the store this time they only had it whole. I decided to make a homemade chicken and rice soup. So I followed Betty’s instructions exactly, being my first time and all. At least we have a microwave because I had to dethaw it quickly. Then I stuck the whole thing in the pot but thought, that doesn’t look right. So after re re reading the directions, I realized I’d have to cut it. Aaaaaahhhhh…I don’t like! I started one little part at a time, but then I turned it over and saw a long…thing…hanging out of it. What, is that it’s umbilical cord???? I know what you might be thinking, but honestly that’s the first thought that came to mind! After nearly fainting, I carried on, one piece at a time. But then, the surface was so slippery, a couple times the bird went sliding across the counter top, hitting the pitcher full of silverware (we don’t have drawers here), and finally landing with a thud into the sink. Thank goodness it landed there and not on the floor! Talk about gross!
After that everything went pretty well and I think it was even worth it. Of course, nobody does boneless, skinless like Tyson, but the absolute dream would be to just pick up a bowl at Bake n Broil. Would have saved me a lot of time and hassle. But then what kind of experience does it give you? So I’m proud to say I wrestled with a dead bird, and won!

Tarde Alegre...Happy Afternoon

Last Friday our school held a family fun day carnival. The teachers and parents all came together to put on a ton of games and sell carnival type foods, minus the hot dogs and cotton candy, to raise money for more play equipment for the school. It was a lot of fun and we had a much bigger turn out than last year, which was the first and was rainy and cold. I set up a small table with three plastic tub containers stacked like a pyramid that the kids could knock down with a little ball. It was a pretty big hit with the littler crowd and if they knocked down only one they "won" a cup of "tuti-fruit", or fruit salad, bu they did have to pay 3 lempira(15 cents) to enter, or they could just buy the tuti fruti. i overestimated and told all 22 of my parents to bring enough fruit for 30 people. it just kept coming and coming in big containers, some even brought it in sand pails made for play at the beach, but we ended up selling it all. we let kinder sell some because they ran out of theirs pretty fast, but it all went! Praise God, and we, just my first grade class, made about $35 for the school. It was a really fun day.

A picnic

a couple of weeks ago The "new" missionaries here invited us, Miguel and Ms. Dani along on a Sunday afternoon picnic about 30 minutes up the mountain next to a really beautiful waterfall, one which i've always heard about but never had the opportunity to see. miguel had gone to church with us and he got to go too and it was so fun. He had a great time.
After visiting eating we visited the orphanage which has the great view of the mountains between the trees, and a fun trampoline to play on. You can see miguel chasing ms. Dani there.
And finally the nap after a long day of fun.

A dear friend

Last week the woman for whom Beto had been praying a lot passed away from stomach cancer. He met her family through his ex landlord, who was her sister. About 2 hours before she died Beto had gone to pray for-with her and her famiy. When he came home to tell me about it he said it was a very powerful time full of the Holy Spirit. About two minutes later he got the phone call that she had just passed. The next night we went to the viewing, which I´d never been to . the house was packed and overflowing to outside, and I asked Beto, ¨Where were all these family and friends when she was so sick?¨ It was pretty quiet. Most dressed in black, tons of flowers, they served a little plate of rice and a piece of white bread and some hot pineapple cider. It was assumed that no one would talk much, just sat in silence staring at each other or the floor. OUTside there was the sound of happy children playing. Beto was given permission to say some words about her and her family and give a message of hope, then pray with and for the family and then they prayed for him. It was very special. It was obvious she was loved by many and known by different kinds of people...there were very rich and very poor, very old and very young, believers and non. It´s a blessing to know that Beto had such an important part in giving her up to the Lord and seeing her at peace.

changes...

Good news! Miguel went to church with us again last Sunday and loved it. Afterwards we went on a picnic to a waterfall with the Owens, veteran missionaries, and Miss Dani. After lunch we visited a Christian orphange up in the mountains that takes care of 23 girls. They have their oldest son in our school. We also went to visit that area´s local pastor in his home. They served us pancakes with sour cream and coffee. Very traditional.
Today he is at the apartment with Beto helping out and they went shopping in the market earlier this morning for the fruits and veggies.
REcently we´ve been talking more about me moving out of teaching English and start teaching Bible at the school next year. I talked to the Owens and they suggested Beto and I become volunteers with World Gospel Mission, which they are a part of and that has provided the Bible classes that Beto teaches and in Southwest School.
The mission provides a budget including provisions for my loans, for our housing and for our medical insurance.
With more time on my hands, I was thinking of volunteering my time at the orphanage, which has been on my heart for a long time (that kind of work). I was talking with the missionary who manages the orphanage and she said they had a school on site but had to shut it down due to lack of personnel. I told her of our plans and she said they´d been praying about that for a year, as well as a preacher for their church on site. It definately felt like a ¨God appointment¨, where one person presents a need and the other person wants to fill it.
Please be in prayer with us about this as we seek God for wisdom and clarity in what to do. Beto will continue to teach Bible in Nuevo Mundo and work with our church´s Ëducatodos¨program at night this year.

Thanks!

Our other new addition...

About a year ago Beto made friends with some young children that roam the streets begging for food. Here and there he'd give them a few lempira to buy tortillas for the family. He invited them to church but they'd never show up at their meeting place. He stopped giving them money and told them that when they wanted to come to church he'd start helping them out again, because he wanted them to seek first God and not only seek out Beto only for money.
About two weeks ago when I was in the internet two of them, brothers, came in and asked me for a few lempira. I said "no"and they asked me to buy them chips. I said I wasn't going to waste my money on junk food, so they asked me to buy them fruit. I couldn't argue with that or their warm faces, so I bought them about 3 fruits each. When I told Beto he said he had it on his heart to teach them responsibility and put them to work to earn their money/food.
A few days later the younger brother met me outside the internet and walked home with me to see Beto. Beto asked him if he wanted to help in the garden (mr. ken, it's coming backto life!) and he helped beto really hard for about 3 hours. he's 7 years old. Since then, he's been coming almsot everyday, picking up trash in the complex, helping in the garden, washing dishes, and helping beto with the strawberries. it's been good for all of us. Miguel enjoys the two "new " shirts beto bought him, and one Ms. Dani donated, and the food he eats in our apt. and takes home with him to his family of 10 siblings and his single mother who works in a cantina.
he loves Mateo too and is a big help in that area as well. Our hearts are growing more for him each day. He is a very hard worker, isn't a burden, and is sweet.
And the best part...he showed up to go to church with us today! He loved it and had Beto help him with his Sunday school homework this afternoon!
Please pray for us as we seek God about what to do in this situation, what to do and how far to go as far as providing for him. Pray for wisdom and clarity and unity of purpose between Beto and I in this and to do what God wants.

It's a Boy!...

and his name is Mateo Malaquias (Matthew Malachi) Perez Speaks Monterroso...That's right, we've got a puppy! And he's the light of our lives! A friend from church/school's dog had puppies and Ms. Dani and I especially wanted one for the apartment. I know we gave the others away but we're hoping this one won't attack people once it gets bigger. Did I ever tell that story? For another day. Anywho, he's a little too young to be away from his mama, but we didn't really have a choice. He was just kind of dropped off and after being with us a few days we didn't want to traumatize him more by sending him back to his skin and bones mother and sleeping in the cold. He's so much fun and cute and we have a blast with him! I feel we're getting ready for parenthood ( a little eary, but I guess it's never too early to start learning!). We put him in the bathroom at night so that his "bidness"is limited to a small area and he cries a lot. Beto and I are already pros at taking shifts and about 5:15 every morning I get up and take him outside to make more bidness deals. he sleeps a lot and was even sick already but a friend from church is a vet and donated us some meds and he's a lot better. Miss Dani is helping babysit, bathe him, and buy milk, as well as the others help babysit some too. Can we have a shower now to help with the cost of food and toys?

New address, same ol blog

Hey everybody,
Thanks for still reading.
The lady I wrote about in the last entry. Last time Beto went over to pray she was sitting up in her bed eating.
This past week has been really busy for us, and beto hasn´t even started the school year yet! Where he teaches Bible at the high school starts in Feb. and ends in Nov.
Beto has started to sell strawberries for a farmer friend here and is starting to grow his clientel. I´ve also been contracted to make bread for a business in town so we´re making a little extra money which all goes to my school loans. yeah!

Last WEd. was the last day of the 2nd period in my school, so thursday we just had a half day of activities and went home at 12 and Friday we didn´t have class, but most of the time i was grading notebooks, entering grades and putting them on report cards. I´m still not done since I left some notebooks at the school on accident. I have one child failing all my classes and those of the other teachers, and some other students failing one class, which means more work for me...I have to write a letter to the parents, make a study guide, make a test, give two days of tutoring after school and then give the test one day after school. Please pray for the one girl especially who´s failing all her classes. I see she has no home support, her mom is illiterate in spanish and her dad is gone a lot as a truck driver. It will take a miracle really for her to pass this year.

Today we´re having the new missionaries over for dinner. They have been here since 1990 really but were in the states for 2 years on furlough and getting their counseling degrees. the other missionaries that were here meatntime have moved to another part of honduras. When one of my apartment-complex-mates met the new ones she said, ¨Le´t´s invite them over for dinner. I´d like to get to know them!¨ We were very happy about that becuase she is not a Christian and pretty passionate about what she does believe. So tonight it´s potluck. please pray for our conversation and that through this new relationship she and the others in our complex will come to know Jesus this year before they go back to the states.

Finally, please pray for me in my job decision. In about a week my school will need an answer from me about whether i´m staying next school year or not. I am definately staying but an opportunity has opened up for me to teach only Bible classes at the same school next year. That is what I came to do initially and would really like to do that. pLease pray it works out and the school is open to letting me do that. Having taught English and seeing that English teachers are most difficult to get for first grade, they may not want to let me go.

Gracias y bendiciones!

Prayer

Lately I´ve been learning from God about the importance and power of prayer.
Where Beto was living before we got married and after he left Southwest, he made good friends with the landlady and her family. When her father got very sick and on the verge of death, they called Beto to go to pray with them for their father. God opened doors for him to preach to them about Jesus and His power. Their father passed away and they asked Beto to speak at the funeral. Even though he´s since moved out we don´t live very far from them. REcently they called him again to pray for a woman in their family who has stomach cancer and is getting ¨treated¨as best they can in her home just a few blocks from where we´re living. Beto has gone about 2 or 3 times a week the last few weeks and we´ve been praying for her in our apartment. A few days ago they traveled with her to the capital to do some tests in the hospital which showed she wasn´t improving. Her sister is a Christian and feels alone in her fight in prayer for her sister. We called her last night to tell her we were praying for her and to see how her sister was doing. She says she´s doing better but she herself feels lonely and a bit desperate to see God work a miracle to heal her sister. We told her we´d be praying at 11pm last night if she wanted to pray at the same time in her own home. Wewill be going later today to her house to read verses and pray over her. Please pray for us in this ministry.

Blessings!

First Field Trip

Here are some fotos of our first field trip this year. I went along to help. It was for their social studies class which is taught by another teacher. They were studying neighborhoods so we went up to a high point of the town and they drew a map of it, we visited the city hall and police station.
We took one class thursday and the other on Friday. On Thursday the other teacher was interviewed for our local TV station and on Friday it was my turn! I was so nervous I was afraid that all of a sudden i would forget all my spanish and that the interview would maybe go something like this:

Interviewer: So what places have you visited so far today?
Me: Yes!(with head nodding and goofy smile)

It went well. I never did see it on TV though. I watched for it that night but I think it had been on earlier that day, and seeing as I don't have Tivo for my one free station, i didn't get to tape it.

More wedding fotos back by popular demand

I'm going to put a bit more fotos here for your enjoyment.

Just married!

Here we are at our reception. It was beautiful and fun, everything we wanted! Thanks to all who came. We are so blessed by all our family and friends.
We enjoyed a two night honeymoon in Laguna Beach and then headed back to Long Beach to spend time with Mary's family before they left again for Africa. With all the family, 20 of us, in my parent's house, it was quite possibly the best Christmas yet!
We are safely and happily back in La esperanza fixing up the apt. to be more homey and I enjoyed giving a devotional and time of prayer each day to my students last week. We are really excited about the ministry God has for us here this year.
Happy new year to you all1
Blessings in 2008!
Love
Beto and Laura Perez Speaks Monterroso