9 of 15

In the curriculum at our language school, the subjunctive mode is split into 15 rules. This week we started studying the 9th of these rules. This specific rule has to do with opinions and how you can convey doubt in something you think/believe.

This rule is going to be the last one we study this trimester. We are going to take the last week and a half of classes reviewing important information after we finish studying this rule.

It has been a little more than 3 months since we started into the big, bad, ugly subjunctive mode of speaking and somehow I am still sane. I will admit that I am getting a bit confused about which rule is which and when I use subjunctive and when I use indicative and when I use infinitive and when I just stop talking. The encouraging thing is that the everyday conversations are getting to be easier and more natural.

9 of 15. That's like almost half isn't it?

In other news... Ashley's parents are coming for a visit! They will get here Saturday morning and we are going to go see one of Costa Rica's most active volcanoes. Should be a great time with family and an awesome chance to see a different side of God's creativity.

Back in San Jose

Today we ended our time, for now, in Honduras. We were able to see the CovCom team off, help clean up the dorm rooms (another team arrived about 8 hours after ours left), and spend a little more time with the long-term team before we had to go to airport and return to our current home.

I-Know-I-Am-Not-In-the-USA when...The woman behind me (and others as well) brings her cups (yes, plural) of coffee through the security checkpoint in the airport. I guess security figures that people here in Central America are too serious about their coffee to mix explosives into it.

Now that we are back home, we will dig back into our Spanish studies. Both Ashley and I had a very different experience in Honduras than we did two years ago since we were able to communicate much more with the Hondurans.

See ya later, not goodbye

This trip has been a lot different from the trip Ashley and I came on 2 years ago. The teams (short-term and long-term) are both larger. We are staying in the dorm facility, that doubles as a construction site. We are able to speak Spanish.

The biggest difference to me is that, even though we are here for only a week, we are able to tell the people we meet that we will see them later. We can tell kids that we are coming back in December. While some of them may not see it as much of a difference now (maybe more so when we actually do see them later), its feels very different for me.

I am able to share with these people that I am taking time to study their language in order to come and serve them. This is very surprising to many of them. They do not understand why I would leave a place that is so "great" to come here where live is so much harder. I hope that I will soon be able to convey (in Spanish) to them that the Lord actually used them to change me and to change my life. The truth is that is doesn't make sense and that it isn't really logical, but it is what the Lord wants and that is all that matters.

See ya later!

Spanish in Honduras

Over the last few weeks I have become more and more encouraged in my speaking of Spanish. I am doing really well in my classes and am learning lots of Spanish grammar. I also have some friends / acquaintances that I speak to regularly in Spanish and it seems as though every time I talk with them, I am able to understand them and communicate with them more clearly.

This week in Honduras has been a little more difficult. Lets just say that I am glad we have another 5 months of language school, because I am not ready yet. Don't get me wrong, I have learned a ton, but speaking with new people (that have a slightly different accent) I have realized that I still have a lot to learn. I know that even when I finish language school I will not be finished learning Spanish. The language learning process is a long and tedious one, but it is one I am enjoying very much right now.

In other news, our team did construction on 2 sites in the morning, hosted a medical clinic that saw 45 patients, and led a Kid's Club with about 40 Honduran kids! We are all doing well, a little tired but enjoying serving the people of Honduras! Click here to see our teams Facebook page with lots of updates and pictures!

What does this pedal do again?

Today,  I drove a car for the first time in over 6 months! Actually, it was a big van.

I got to drive to the airport to pick up the team from Covenant Community Church that we are working with this week! It was so much fun seeing them come through the door after they went through customs.

After picking them up, we took them to our home for the week, the new dorm facility that team Honduras has been working on for quite a long time. There are a few in the group that came last year, and they all say the housing accommodations are a huge upgrade and are so nice!

Next, we went to the Clow's house for 'gringo church,' orientation, and dinner.

As per usual, there were lots of not planned things that happened today. 1. Mike Pettengill, our team leader, woke up this morning sick. 2. La Ceiba had a 'we are going to turn off the power for some reason' day, so we did not have electricity from about 7:45 am - 3:00 pm. 3. The Pettengill's house had a leak that I got to help John Clow fix.

Tomorrow we start really working (medical clinic, construction, and ESL class). 

I got to fill in for our sick team leader in leading the devotional for 'gringo church'

Thank you all for your prayers! Please pray that our team leader, Mike, will be healed quickly.