If I am diligent and self-disciplined enough to slow down my crazy pace of life during the school year at the Finca, take a deep breath, and look around, I am constantly reminded of God’s amazing presence and the beauty of this earth! We are so unbelievably lucky to be surrounded by so much natural beauty at the Finca, and it takes constant reminders to enjoy every single second of it and not take it for granted.
I wake up at 4:50am on weekday mornings during the school year, and I have 30ish minutes of silent morning prayer in a hammock at our outdoor fogón area. As I am sitting in that hammock pondering God’s love, mercy, and listening for his guidance and direction, I can see the BEAUTIFUL sunrise to my right as it makes its way over the ocean. The sky and clouds typically turn all sorts of shades of yellow, orange, and pink, and I am once again reminded of the beauty of this earth and how lucky I am to witness God’s power every morning. During that same morning prayer, I can also see and hear the waves as they slowly roll onto the beach in magnificent patterns.
Then, as Kenna, Natalie, and I walk around the campo to our Finca chapel for 5:45am laudes or communion service, we can see the BEAUTIFUL mountains that surround the Finca! It is often fairly clear during our morning walks to the chapel, so it is simply incredible to admire the immensity and the great details of the mountains along with the sky that is often still turning colors from the sunrise. What a blessing it is to live in a place with the beach literally steps from your front door with the mountains in such close proximity as well!
Often midway through our laudes or communion service, the sun pokes over the mountains and sneaks in the open windows of the chapel. I am undoubtedly a huge lover of the sun, but I think every member of our Finca community feels God’s love and presence in such a profound way as the sun floods the church with natural sunlight and we finish praying together as a Finca family.
There is no doubt that the sun is STRONG in Honduras and the days during the dry season (March through October) are often scorching hot, but a strong afternoon breeze from the ocean picks up almost every day after lunch like clockwork. This blessing obviously helps to cool things down, but it also leads to so many adventures and games as you take the kids to the beach. I go to the beach every Wednesday afternoon with our Finca boys, and the pure joy on their faces as they struggle to jump over the big waves is contagious and electrifying!
I love the sunset with my entire heart, and we are so lucky to be able to witness BEAUTIFUL sunsets here at the Finca! There is no better feeling than taking a sunset swim with your best friends or simply going for a walk along the beach to soak in God’s amazing creation. I probably don’t make it to the beach enough to watch the sunsets, but that becomes significantly easier once school is no longer in session.
I am the security coordinator at the Finca, so I often make the 3-minute walk from our missionary house to the front gate after dinner to chat with the security guards. As I cross the campo, stopping to stare at the immense beauty of the stars in the sky is an absolute MUST! Probably because we are in rural Honduras with not too much around us, we are able to see SO, SO many stars most nights at the Finca! Staring at the stars is such an incredibly powerful way to experience God’s love and sovereignty in this world.
As described, there is so much natural beauty around us at the Finca, but Honduras in general is an INCREDIBLY beautiful country with amazing people and culture. I am so thankful every single day to have the opportunity to live in this country for an extended period of time and to have such strong relationships with so many Honduras that I have come to know so well over the last two years.
Especially from a United States perspective, it can be easy to focus on the narratives of overwhelming violence throughout Honduras and the large number of Honduras immigrating to the United States every year. However, while there are certainly large, glaring issues that need to be addressed, this country is truly beautiful and its people have IMMENSE pride in where they were born and grew up.
This is always glaringly evident during September, as Honduras, along with Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Costa Rica, celebrates its Independence Day on September 15th. The festivities always begin with Flag Day on September 1st and conclude with a HUGE celebration in every school and city on September 14th or 15th. While it is easy to be frustrated that some students at our Finca school missed almost two hours of classes every day for 2 months leading up to September 15th in order to practice in the band, we had one heck of a party at our Finca school on September 14th celebrating Independence Day!
We started our school march at a nearby plancha (a river that crosses the road), and we completed the 30-minute march to the school with our band playing national Honduran songs, all of our kids dressed up in HUGE dresses or fun costumes representing the many walks of life that Hondurans take up in their country, and everybody with a HUGE smile on their face and probably commenting on how hot the sun is. Once we arrived at the Finca, we marched around the Finca a couple of times, had a school party near the campo filled with presentations from our band, flag team, and many students from every grade, and enjoyed a community meal with all of our students and parents from the outside communities.
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE DAY!! After the eventful day ended, I was filled with such gratitude for this country that I have the opportunity to live in for who knows how much longer. It is certainly not perfect, but it is a country marked by its natural beauty, its generous and hospitable people, and its strong culture! LONG LIVE HONDURAS!
Please pray for all of our new missionaries that are coming to the Finca on October 15th! Please pray for their time in Guatemala as they learn Spanish and prepare themselves for the crazy ride at the Finca that awaits them in just over a month.
Please let me know how I can pray for you!
God Bless!