February + March

I really can't believe how quickly time is passing here! Crazy to think the last time I was writing was almost two months ago, but let me catch you up on some of the highlights of the last few months.

Once vacation camp was finished the next few weeks felt a lot more quiet, doing administration in the office etc. However in the middle of February my Mum came to visit me here in Copan which was a really amazing week and so wonderful to see her :) We spent the time here in Copan visiting some of the main sites such as the Mayan Ruins and the Bird Park.

And for a few days we crossed to border into Guatemala to visit the city of Antigua, which in style is pretty similar to Copan but is much bigger and also flat! We enjoyed looking around the artisan markets and on one of the days we did a half day trek up a volcano which was really fantastic. Near the top in the gaps between rocks there is a lot of very hot air so we were able to toast marshmallows which was pretty cool. (Check out my facebook for more pics of Guatemala!)

A wonderful time spent with Mum and really great to show her around the place which has really become home for me over the last 6/7 months.

After Mum left we were pretty much straight back into After School programme which is what I was working in whenever I first arrived. Its really great to see how far I've grown in many aspects since the end of October when we finished up last year. My spanish is vastly better and more importantly relationships with both kids and youth have really developed so praise God for that! Since we've been back in camp I've had the opportunity to visit camp Agape (our other after school programme) which has been a wonderful experience too to learn from Kourtney (the director) and meet the great children there.

Finally, a few weekends ago, the UrbanTrekkers programme did a service project in Nueva Esperanza (where Camp Hope takes place) planting trees as part of a reforestation project. About 12 youth attended the project and we had a great morning all working together and we planted about 160 trees which in about 10 years time will be fully grown. The tree is called 'Flor de Isote' and we learned about all its properties in a presentation given by the owners of the project. Great team work and a lot of fun had!

There are some highlights for you :) I am still really enjoying all I'm getting to do here in Copan and with UPH, I feel like every day is a learning experience in some way or another. Strange to think that there's only a little over a month left to go!

What can you pray for?
- Londin and Tania who are the Camp Hope director and assistant director. Pray that daily they would have the energy, wisdom, patience and many other skills needed to run camp.
- Thanks for continued opportunities to share with the kids and youth about Christ, last week I shared my testimony at youth night
-As I am now in my final month here that I would enjoy it all to the full and God would prepare me for the return home because I am aware adjusting back into life in the UK will be hard at times

January Vacation Camps

Hello!

It seems like forever since I was last writing a post (and it really has been), I feel like the time is running away with me here but am looking forward to telling you what the last month or so has been like here in Copan :)

After an amazing Christmas break, spending time in Texas and Argentina, I was back in Copan just before New Year because we had to start getting ready for January Vacation Camps which meant 4 days of training with the youth leaders, visits to the camp site and preparing classes.

Camp kicked off on the 8th of January and ran every week day until the end of the month. With a few days of it finishing I can say with much confidence that it was a great success and so clear to see how God was working across all the camps. We had 4 camps spread through Copan: Hope (where I was working), Agape, Alabanza and Gracia. With so many camps it meant that we were reaching about 200 kids which is amazing!

In Camp Hope we had a really great team under the leadership of new Camp director Londin. Thanks so much for those who prayed for him because, wow! What an incredible example of humble leadership and a real inspiration to observe working. I think one of my favourite things about Londin is that he has this amazing ability to make every activity sound and be the most fun ever - this was clearly exemplified when he told the kids we were going to go out into the community to collect rubbish as a clean up project. It was like they had got free tickets to Disney Land, amazing!

Crazy campers!

For my part, I was teaching English classes at camp and also helping out in all the other activities. It was definitely a new challenge for me but something that I really enjoyed and learnt a lot from. We were learning a whole variety of basic things such as numbers, colours, animals, body parts etc. The biggest struggle for me sometimes was getting the kids to talk in English because they can be so shy about it - I had to be creative in the ways I taught them but also create a comfortable atmosphere in which they felt they could at least give it a go. 

Apart from my Spanish coming on leaps and bounds I think the biggest thing I learnt over this month was to always keep in mind what the real aim of the camps, and indeed UPH, are. One day of camp some of my classes just didn't go well and I felt pretty disappointed about it. However later that day I was witness to a conversation Blair (our boss) was having with our friend Pastor Fabio. He was explaining the camps to him and telling him that whilst the classes, games etc were fun the whole point of the camp was to give the kids a safe space to be where they can be themselves. A place where they feel valued and ultimately feel the love of Christ through the actions of those leading. After hearing that, trying to make the kids speak amazing English didn't feel very important any more. It was about having a loving attitude and trying to be a light for Christ in the lives of these kids, from then on it became more and more of a joy to be at camp each day and serve! :) 

With camp now finished the next few weeks will be fairly quiet, just in the office getting ready for After School Programme again which starts in March. However I am excited that my Mum is coming to Copan for a visit in less than two weeks time! :D

What to pray for?

- Praise God for such a wonderful month of Vacation Camp - for all the kids, youth, staff that were involved. It was a real team effort but an amazing success!

- Safe travel for my Mum (Sue) as she leaves London on the 13th Feb and arrives in Copan on the 14th

- That I would continue to enjoy and learn from church, my small group and bible study with Roscelyn

Kind of hard to believe that I'm over half way through my time here but excited to see what's still left in store!

End of year trips

Can't believe almost a month has past since I was last on here writing to you all. Again I apologise for falling so behind on these posts, the time really does just run away with me! 

November is a slightly different month here at UPH because camp is now over for the year, so the routine I was pretty much adjusted to was set to completely change! I was worried I'd be short of things to do but that has definitely not been the case! For example, a few weeks ago we had 3 days of end of year programme evaluation which I got to be a part of. Lots of meetings and discussion but was really interesting to be Involved in the process and see where we can improve next year. 

However a part of this month has been taken up with all the end of year trips so I thought I'd use this post to tell you where I've been! There are 3 separate end of year trips for camp, split up into grades. The 1st-2nd graders trip was an afternoon out to visit the Mayan ruins that sit just outside of Copan Ruinas. We were taken round all the different ruins with a guide, learning about how the Mayans lived and worked many years ago. For example how they didn't have money in those times but used seeds from cocoa plants to buy food. It was very interesting! 

The 3rd-4th graders trip was out to Aguas Calientes (hot springs) where we spent the morning swimming and playing in one of the pools which is filled with the warm water from the springs. 

After we'd had lunch and swam a bit more, we left and went on to visit another newly opened archeological site here in Copan which is called El Rastrojon. We walked around the site and learned about how it had been discovered and restored. 

The trip with our 'grandes' or 5th-6th graders was a weekend away to San Pedro Sula. This trip is earned on merit and good behaviour from the year so not everyone gets to go, we had about 22 kids with us from both camps. We left on a Friday afternoon and took most of the day to get to San Pedro. We stayed in the house of a missionary couple from the states who are living and working with the people of the city. The trip featured it's usual components, such as going to the City Mall to eat and then going to the cinema (we saw Cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2 or 'lluvia de hamburguesas 2') and on Sunday we drove up to the coast, to Tela, to go to the beach which was GORGEOUS and for many of them their first trip to a beach. 

However for me, the best part of the trip which was a new addition this year, was a service project. On Saturday morning we all went to a 'Hogar de niños' in the city which houses abandoned, orphaned, or abused children. A Christian charity called Orphan Helpers is working there and we went with the purpose of sharing songs, games and a short bible message with all the kids. The visit had such an impression on me! Lots of the kids who we met were suffering with either a physical or mental disability which was difficult to see. There was even a room for tiny babies who, for some reason or another, had been abandoned by their parents and been brought to this orphanage for protection, so desperately sad! But despite the difficult stories we were hearing it was so encouraging to see our kids playing with all the other children, who on the whole seemed happy and well looked after. As we were in the bus on our way home one of our girls, Karla, poignantly said that after going there she feels like we should all be very thankful and appreciate our parents more. Was great to see how much they had learned from the visit as well as us leaders. 

Aside from these trips I've been busy with other things. I am continuing to meet up with Roscelyn which is going really well and we're having good discussions. I've also started going along to a kids club which is on every Monday evening and is run by a man called Pastor Fabio. It takes place in his house and all the kids from our neighbourhood go to it. Every week it's different but usually there is a bible story and a small craft. Great opportunity to get to know some of the kids in my area :) and Pastor Fabio and his wife are extremely friendly and generous. 

What can you pray for?

- join me in giving thanks to God for all the ways he has blessed me in my time here so far, so easy to see how he has been answering prayers! I feel at home here and really loving my work :)

- pray for all UPH staff as we start to prepare for vacation camps in January. Found out I'll be teaching English at Camp Hope, so pray in my prep as well!

I also give thanks for all of you! Thanks so much for continuing to support me by praying, sending emails, letters, texts etc. Such an encouragement :) 

First post as a 21 year old...

Finally I find myself with a good amount of time to write on here again! The time is flying and I've been so busy, but I'll catch you up on what I've been up to over the last few weeks :)

So yes two weeks ago was my 21st birthday and I had a really great day! Thanks to all those who sent messages and cards, I really appreciated hearing from you all and it's such a joy to receive post! I managed to speak to family and friends on Skype in the morning and then came down to the office where I found my desk covered with balloons and a few cards which was a lovely surprise! At camp the kids sang to me and a kid called Hector René because it was his birthday too (I always have to share haha) In the evening I went out for dinner with all the staff which was really great and the food was delicious too. 

(From left to right: Hugh, Fausto, Kourtney, Me, Keyla, Katie and Elizabeth)

The last few weeks of camp for 2013 were pretty busy because we were getting ready for our 'clausura' which was on Monday evening (28th October). It's an event all the parents and families are invited to and we have a big meal and then we presented to them a nativity play and two of the kids sang some Honduran Christmas songs (I am aware we're very early for Christmas!). It was a very special evening! All the kids really rose to the occasion and performed very well. I felt like a proud Mum! At the end of the night each child received a certificate for completing the year and a card from one of the youth. So until January when we have vacation camp, there is no more camp Hope. I do feel sad that camp is over as over the last 6/7 weeks I have become really attached to all the kids and I will miss them and all the craziness. 

Some pictures from Monday night: 

And our last day of camp in 2013:

Whilst camp has kept me pretty busy I have had time to get involved in some other things too! Been spending some time outside of UPH with some of the youth which has been really good fun and I met 1-2-1 with one of the youth called Roscelyn last weekend and it's looking like we may do a bible study together so praise God for that. I am also so thankful that I have found a church I really like, it's called Amigos, and last Saturday I went to a small group for the first time and it was brilliant! I was made to feel extremely welcome by all the women and we had a really great bible study. I am already looking forward to when I can go again :)

So yes life is pretty busy here in Copan but November looks like it'll be a slightly quieter month as there is no camp. We do however have all the end of year camp trips to look forward to. This weekend we are taking the 5th and 6th graders to San Pedro Sula for their trip, they are all very excited! For some of them this will be their first time ever going there. 

I'll close this blog with a very entertaining story. A few weeks ago Honduras were playing their final match to qualify for the World Cup in Rio. Katie and I went to watch the match with some of the youth which was really fun. Honduras only had to draw in order to qualify which they did so they're going to Rio!! Once the game finished the whole of Copan proceeded to go completely crazy with everyone jumping into the back of their trucks and driving around town. Katie and I stood on the street and watched all the cars go past, however one stopped in front of us that had some of Katie's friends in and they invited us to get in. Without giving it much thought we went to jump in the back. Katie got in first but as I was climbing in after her the truck started to move... My feet were in but with the momentum of the truck I fell back so I was basically hanging out the back of this pick up truck holding on for dear life!! After about the longest 10 seconds EVER it stopped again and I was pulled back in to safety. I managed to escape competely unharmed so the story has a happy ending but a crazy experience!! Only in Honduras.

Thanks so much for reading! What can you pray for?

- safety for staff and kids as we travel to San Pedro this weekend. That we would have fun and good behaviour

- that Roscelyn and I would get time to regularly meet and study the bible together

- that I would continue to get involved at my church and small group

- praise God that I have seen so much growth in relationships with kids and youth 

First few weeks

Sorry it has taken me a while to write another post! Every time I plan to write something comes up leaving me no time. But here I am now, thanks for your patience :) 

First few weeks have really flown! Can't believe by next week a month will have already gone since I left, feels like no time at all. But I am really enjoying myself and feeling more settled with each day. My first full week here in the office was quiet because we had Mon&Tue off and then the next two days were admin days for all the staff. However the two camp directors, Katie and Kourtney, asked me to plan the activity for camp on Friday that was all about peace. I was daunted at the prospect because it had to last about 2 hours and needed a craft (for those of you who know me well, not my strong point!) but planning actually ended up being really enjoyable. I decided to take the angle of looking at peace as part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit which is a gift from God sent to help us, we then made paper doves to remind us of this:

The next day, because it was world international peace day, we did a 5km peace trek with youth from the community around Copan. As we walked we stopped in different places and talked about different kinds of peace, challenging them to consider what it meant for them. It was a great event with a good turn out! I enjoyed it and was a great opportunity to start getting to know the youth better. We did another trek last weekend up into the mountains which was so gorgeous, despite it being extremely hot! The whole walk was about 15km (should have been a bit shorter but we got lost!) and again just another chance to chat and build relationships with the youth. This is the group that went:     

Despite the temperature and extra walking there were no complaints it it was so encouraging to see them help each other out, even though some of them had only met that day. Here are some of the views:

The rest of my time has been taken up with camp which has been great!! All of the children are so wonderful. Here's how the time goes:

2-3pm: set up, meeting & prayer with Katie, Tania (assistant director) and the youth who are helping that day.

3-3.30: warm up game and then normally either Spanish or Bible class. However atm we are not doing that because we are in rehearsals for the Christmas play which we do at the end of this month when camp ends for the year (crazy early I know!)

3.30-4.15: time for them to do their homework or read. All the kids want you to read with them it's so lovely!

4.15-4.45: snack and break 

4.45-5.30: 'options' a chance for the kids to do an activity they would not get to do in school such as art, music, science, cooking etc. 

So as you can see a pretty full on schedule but the time really flies and I look forward to going every day. It's taken a few weeks but the kids are getting used to me being around and I'm getting there with the names! Lots of Hectors and Hernáns. 

I think I will wrap it up here, I feel I have missed out a lot but next time will tell you more about what Copan is like and the lifestyle here :) 

Things to pray for:

1. Last Sunday I went to a church that I liked so pray with me that I would continue to feel settled there and if not God would provide another church for me

2. Spanish is improving all the time but I need boldness to speak and not have a fear of making mistakes!

3. That relationships with the youth and children would continue to grow and I would take every opportunity to get to know them better. 

Thanks so much! Your support, prayers & encouragement continues to surprise me and brings a lot of joy. I'll leave you with the 'Lema' from camp we say everyday before leaving:

'Sé fuerte y valiente. No tengas miedo, ni te desanimes. Porque el Señor, tu Dios te acompañara dondequiera que vayas' Josué 1:9. (Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. For The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1vs9)

I've arrived!

After a lot of anticipation, prayer and cramming a lot of stuff into two bags I have finally made it safely to Copan where I will be for the next 8 months! It feels kind of surreal. First of all, praise God for such a smooth journey. I had no delays and all my luggage arrived with me at San Pedro Sula, I was so relieved to see it. On the flight from Madrid to Costa Rica I made friends with the man sitting next to me, who was on his way to work in the French embassy in Tegucigalpa (Honduran capital), he seemed really nervous to be going there and I remember thinking that although I was apprehensive I knew that God was going with me which gave me such peace! I prayed that he would know that too. 

I stayed the night in San Pedro and slept very well after almost 24 hours of travelling. The next morning I got the bus to copan which took about 3 hours. I can honestly say it was probably the nicest coach I have ever been on, which did surprise me massively, very comfortable seats that reclined and free snacks. I was a happy lady! 

Upon arriving I was met by Hugh who is the volunteer coordinator and he showed me around and I met some of the staff, quite a few are away until next week. I'm living with the administrator who's called Keyla and she has made me feel really welcome. Our little house is really cute and only about 5mins walk from the office which is ideal. Copan is such a lovely town, really beautiful and I feel really safe here which is pretty rare in Honduras. It's set on a hill which means its pretty hot work walking around sometimes because at the moment the temp is around 30 degrees! Sorry to rub it in :p

While I am here I'll be helping at one of the after school camps, Camp Hope, which takes place just outside Copan in a place called Nuevas Esperanzas (new hope). I went there on Friday afternoon with Katie who is my camp director but it was a special day on Friday so there was a big party for all the kids so they were all pretty crazy but it was lots of fun! And because of this all the kids were there, not all of them come every day, I was introduced to everyone and to all the youth that help out. I've been made to feel very welcome! 

This weekend Honduras is celebrating independence so there have been so many parades around the town that involve all the kids and young people from the local schools. The quality of the costumes and  the music has been really impressive. Lots of the Hondurans have asked me if I we have anything like this back in the UK, I feel sad when I say no because its a cool tradition. 

That's pretty much all that's happened in the last few days, next week there is no camp so it'll be a slightly quieter week which is probs good for me as I'm still trying to find my feet. Thanks so much for all the words of encouragement and prayers, it does really mean a lot to know I have you all supporting me! 

What can you pray for?

- Continue to pray that I would feel settled and at home here

- For my Spanish! Will take a bit more time to get used to speaking it, but I am getting there!

- That God would show me what he wants my role here to be as a volunteer and that I would seek to fulfil that during my time here

Because I have wifi both at home and in the office I am easily contactable via Facebook, email, whatsapp etc so do stay in touch!  I'll write here again soon :) 

Hello everyone!

With about one week to go until I jet off to Honduras I thought it would be good to write my first post. When I started thinking about what I wanted to do on my year abroad in September I don't think I could have imagined that I would be heading off to Honduras for 8 months but I am really excited to go! I thought my first post would be a good chance to explain why I'm going and what I'm going to do:

For those of you who aren't entirely sure on what I'll be doing when I'm away let me briefly explain it to you the best that I can. Urban Promise Honduras is a Christian organisation which aims to help the development of children and young people in the town of Copan, which is where I will be living.
For primary aged children there is a programme which runs every day after school where the kids have the opportunity to have English lessons, Bible class, art, cooking, homework help and a lot more! For the young people, there is a strong focus on training them in leadership; encouraging them to take the lead in the after school programmes but also building relationships with them at weekly youth nights. If you want to know more check out the website: http://urbanpromisehonduras.org/ although as I arrive and start working there I will be able to tell you much more!!

Why not study on my year abroad?
Studying abroad was never really an option that appealed to me, even when I was in 1st year and this all seemed like a long way away. At that time I wasn't really sure why that was but now I know it's because God had a different purpose in store for me. I have always loved serving in church, both in London and Edinburgh, by doing work with children and young people. Sharing the truths of the Bible with them has always given me such joy because I have seen how God can change their hearts and lives. I am extremely blessed that I am able to do this work as a part of my degree and use my Spanish to help kids with their education but more importantly tell them all about Jesus. I cannot wait to get stuck in with the kids out in Honduras and share with them both in words and actions how much they are loved by God and how he has the power to change their lives!

Why Honduras?
I initially researched into different organisations in Spain but when all opportunities there didn't work out it became clear that God was calling me further afield. I learned about Urban Promise Honduras from a friend who had worked with them, and after looking at their website I fell in love with the project and the vision behind it. I was quick to apply and so excited when they invited me to come out and join the team.

I fly out on 11th September and it's a pretty long journey consisting of 3 flights: London to Madrid, Madrid to Costa Rica and then Costa Rica to San Pedro Sula Honduras.

What can you pray for?

• Safe and problem free travel - that I make all my connections and my luggage arrives with me
• That I settle in well and don't feel too homesick in the first few weeks
• I would be quick to get stuck in and use all my skills to be an affective member of the team
• That I would not struggle to much with my Spanish because I am pretty rusty!

My intention is to update this blog every few weeks with what I've been doing so stay tuned for more!