when it rains, it pours

As we transition out of our time in Honduras, I want to share the real unfiltered view of what life in the rainy mountains of Honduras looked like. As I sit in this little hotel that has been home the last ten days due to a covid outbreak on the squad — I can’t help but smile reflecting on this experience. An experience I will never get again in my life. This is not a “whoa is me” blog but literally how freaking amazing that this is the life He has called me to for this season! Like who gets to do this?!

So I want to share snippets of memories from my journal, pictures of day-to-day life, and sweet moments of seeing God move in the laughable or uncomfortable moments in these mountains of Comayagua.

(Stay tuned until the end for an update on where we are heading next!)

The Bathroom

Journal entry from night one — “…I’m not sure how I will have a peaceful poop here…I already peed off the ledge by my tent because I didn’t want to make the trek to the bathroom” (a very real thing)

This was our bathroom for 60+ people on the mountain. It didn’t take long to learn the tricks and trades of the bathroom. Tuck the curtain behind the wood post or it WILL blow open or someone will open it on you. If the area is quiet, turn on the water spicket to give you a little noise relief. ALWAYS check the toilet paper — and if you use it all, be kind and hike up to the shed and grab a new roll. Be careful of your headlamp at night — the curtain can be tricky. Man the memories from this little hole in the ground.

Tent Life

Since I had to remain in Guatemala longer due to covid exposure, I did not get to see the mountain before the tents were put up.  My squad spent days digging out semi-flat platforms to fit all our tents on the mountain. It looked like we were a base camp set up with 40+ tents every place possible. 

Tent life was interesting. It was an adventure. The walkway to ‘gringo grove’ where I lived required skilled maneuvering either through the other tents or down a slippery carved path. It was a success to not slip or not step in mud to cover your feet before getting in the tent. It was always a guessing game whether to close your rain fly or attempt to air it out during the day and pray for no afternoon rain. Tent picnics were some of my favorite mems, iykyk. As much as I love camping, I can’t say I will miss daily tent life in the midst of the rainy season. 

The Showers

Three showers for the 60+ of us. Living in mud and working manual labor meant everyone wanted to shower every evening unless you opted for a good ole baby wipe shower or bucket hair washing. Again, a system of trial and error. From nailing curtains, holding them down with giant rocks, logs — sometimes the only solution was to grab a trusting friend to hold your curtain from the wind. Man the laughs I had in these showers, just ask my buddy Amanda lol 

Sometimes the water didn’t work. Sometimes the water pipes burst. Sometimes we used a hose. Sometimes a bucket. Sometimes the wind blew the curtains WIDE open. Sometimes you rushed to get in the shower line. Sometimes you waited until after dinner in the dark and enjoyed a nice headlamp shower. Man, thankful for nice showers.

The Truck Rides

To get up and down the mountain, we piled into trucks and made the hour-ish trek through the hilly muddy mountain roads. On some occasions, there were 20 of us crammed in the back of a truck bed. 

We would always try to miss the afternoon rain showers but, more often than not, we were caught in the rain in the truck. It was a good day if the truck had a tarp in the bed to throw over us. Other times we just embraced the rain, held on tight, and laughed that this is our life.

The last hill leading up to the church site was named “big hungry” as she lovedddd to eat the wheels of the truck — we’d get stuck, we’d push the trucks, abandon the truck and walk up, or some days not even attempt the massive hill and leave the truck at the bottom.

Meal Time

I have to brag because we had the most INCREDIBLE women who would WALK HOURS to the church every day to cook us our meals!! What a freaking sweet gift! 

While our meals didn’t look like your traditional menu, consisting of lots of beans, eggs, tortillas, and plantains, our tums eventually got used to it (rip the one bathroom).

Dinner time was usually eating by headlamp or phone light, often accompanied by many many card games. These tables were the one common space to gather — quiet times, worship times, meal times, team times, game times all took place on these wood benches and tables we made.  

 

The Animals & Bugs

In addition to all the people living on this mountain, we were joined by a plethora of doggies, chickens, kitties, you name it. All received a name, oftentimes multiple names depending on who you ask. They kept life interesting. Whether it was the pregnant dog named Yote/Zapato barking up a storm all night, the wild strays trying to sneak into our trash and destroying it around camp by morning. Snickers/scruffs just wanting some scraps or Nico peeing on our tents. 

The cicadas were in abundance, the spiders even more so. Their favorite place being right in between my tent and rain fly causing a war to break out each morning and night to open my tent. This buddy welcomed me my first morning on the mountain and visited often with his friends.

THE MUD

If you made it to your tent at night without any mud on you, I want to know. Rainy season came and it came HARD on the mountain. The days we spent digging the land for the church, digging giant holes for the bathroom, for posts, for barriers, for everything. This is a screenshot from a video to give you an idea of the ground when the rain started.

This hill was the main hill through our campsite. I hated this hill but looking at it now, it provided so many moments of laughter. Every morning I would stumble down this hill, my squadmates often telling me I looked like I was walking down it with a walker because my steps were so small. It made me start each day with a chuckle, which I’m thankful for. Don’t let looks deceive you, it claimed many victims down it, and add the rain and you basically had a slip n slide.

Finally, the people

The people made this time so sweet. Paul and Tania, our incredible hosts. Ben and Brittany, a young missionary couple who loved and served the heck out of our squad. Our high school friends who served alongside us as part of their bilingual schooling. The sweet woman in the kitchen. The families we met in the community on house visits. The young mothers at the women’s ministry. The young mother we met at the baptisms. The men who would show up Sundays for church service. The children who lived nearby and hung out at the campgrounds all day with us.

 

There is a heaviness on this mountain but God is using these people and will use this church, to bring His light to these families in the far-off mountains of Comayagua.

 

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PRAYER REQUESTS & UPDATES

As I shared above, the squad has been walking through a covid outbreak, requiring us to navigate the situation to best protect not only our squad but the people we are serving. We are currently quarantining and will be getting tested on the 26th so prayers for all negative tests!! Pending negatives, the squad will fly out on the 28th and layover in New Jersey before heading to SOUTH AFRICA!!! 

In the meantime, I’m in the process of writing a Q/A blog so if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments for me and I’ll include those in my update!

All my love, KK