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!