Hurricane Warnings

Friday afternoon was filled with activity as we prepared for the onslaught of Hurricane Matthew. I stocked up on healthy cold food items like Corn Flakes and Sardines and bought several novena candles (these are in glass containers and burn for long periods of time) for long periods without electricity (and, a little prayer might always be in order).

In the evening, the rain started and we were braced for the predicted 10-12 inches. It rained most of the night but, about six the rain stopped and by seven it was sunny. Evidently, the storm got stalled on the tip of Honduras and Nicaragua and did nothing more than spit at us.

The power was out for most of Saturday so I did get to enjoy Corn Flakes and powdered milk for breakfast. Power outages are going to be a part of the next few days it seems. If the people controlling the dam let too much water out, downstream will be a disaster area (rivers are overflowing already). If they let the water build up too much, the head gets too much (going by rumours here) and the generators have to be shut off. So ... know where your matches are at all times.

By ten, we realized that sun was the order of the day so we packed up two students, Natashs, the student intern and two barrels of fresh water and headed for Tela (the beach). Having a vehicle makes for many different options. This was the girls’ second trip to the beach in their lifetime (100 km away).

In Tela we found a beach and headed into the waves. Matthew had made the waves a bit more interesting but, as Tela is part of a large bay, the waves are never truly more than lots of fun. We spent an hour being pushed around by the ocean before heading into town.

On our way home, we stopped at a movie theatre to watch a movie. The movie the girls chose was billed as a 3D movie featuring some sorts of Kung Fu type adventures. Sadly, it didn’t live up to even those meagre expectations. However, for the girls, it was exciting. A movie, pizza and a beach ... all in one day.

This week, I have been made aware, again, of how fear is a part of living here in Honduras. A conversation with a friend (as we waited out a downpour) reminded me of that. This young man told me of the time he was riding a bus and a robber had come on the bus and shot the person sitting beside him. Manuel told me of coming out of his house last week only to see a man with a gun robbing another person on a bicycle. Manuel ducked back in time before the robber noticed him. A third friend told us of her experience being robbed when downtown with her two children. So many of my friends have such experiences and it continually colours their lives ... rather understandably.

One of the rather disappointing features of mission work is that, very often, the people who are first attracted to conversion and leadership positions in new churches are those who are marginalized in their own society. As they gain power in these new positions, they, very often, copy the leadership examples of both missionaries and the society around them. They become accustomed to using their positions to gain benefits for themselves and their families.

Very often, it is children of these first ‘believers’ who get opportunities for education and travel. They become accustomed to a life of benefits and, in fact, feel that they are entitled to these benefits. Often, as well, they are not committed to the principles of the religious community to which they belong and to which their fathers lead.

I have run across such families in Africa and here in Honduras. This past week we have had the misfortune of encountering one such family. For two generations, they have made a very good living from “enabling” Christian aid projects and programs. In the process, they have acquired land, houses and private education. They have not acquired the status in their society that they would like but they do control the church in which they continue to be part of.

In the process of completing one of our projects, we have had to confront several members of this family because their holdings and businesses were neighbouring or affecting our work. The fact that we sought to be transparent in our dealings and expected the same from them was very threatening to them. Now we get to deal with their threats and animosity.

It is a new experience for me to live with that type of threat. Although minor in comparison to that of my friends (at least I hope so) it nevertheless, makes me appreciate how much it makes you look at things in a different light. Hopefully, we can distance ourselves from these folks and assure them that we are not a threat to their way of life. Time will tell. It is frustrating to have people seeking to destroy something that only seeks to benefit their country and the poor people around them.

Time to run. We are meeting with a group of women who are trying to do some agriculture work to earn some more money for their families. It is exciting to see their enthusiasm. I hope we can direct that enthusiasm to something profitable and useful in the long term.

TTYL

BB