4 down...6 to go..whoa

hola amigos :) well, i know i have been lax in my efforts to keep an online account of life in La Ceiba, Honduras.... sooo, i will update y'all a bit!
4 weeks have passed, an entire month living with my crazy/fun family, attending spanish lessons, and working at the orphanage. about 6 more weeks to go! Whoa!
here are a few highlights from the past weeks...
Cayos Cochinos - hermoso! so beautiful. these islands are what my dreams of a beach paradise cannot even reach. i was so blessed to take a trip with a few girls from the school and experience Cayos. It is a 40 minute boat ride off the mainland. and when i say boat ride i mean a rough, thrashing 40 minutes across ocean waves in a small, old, unreliable boat. but, i guess i was really tired or just enjoyed the rocking motion because somehow i managed to fall asleep both enroute and on the return from the islands :) my tour guide called me a loca. as we reached the islands, we snorkled and swam and enjoyed the blue waters and white sand beaches. The Garifuna people are a very unique population of Honduras as they were former slaves that were relocated to the coast of Honduras and have preserved a culture and native language. and wow, what amazing food the Garifuna have cultivated.... In Cayo Cochinos, we ate fresh fish, fried plantains, coconut bread, a herbal drink, and mas y mas!
A few more cultural experiences include visits to other Garifuna villages, hiking Pico Bonito mountain, visiting a wildlife refuge Cuero y Salado, running the beaches, enrolling in a dance class ahhhhh!!!, and attending a traveling circus lol.
besides the weekend trips, i love the day-to-day life here in La Ceiba. 4 hours of class, a home-cooked honduran style lunch, and 5 hours in the orphanage. then if i have energy at night, i go out with friends, go to a dance lesson, or attend my church.
the orphanage (orfanato) is called Casa Feliz. it is changing my life in incredible ways. i am sooo in awe of the Lord's grace as I hear of these kids stories, their former lives, and I see them now, following Christ and giving glory to God. it challenges me to be more single-minded and to get into the Word more. the kids follow a strict schedule of eating, cleaning, bathing, bible study, play, school, tutoring sessions, etc etc. and they all have so much joy. when i get to the orphanage, i am always greeted by many hugs, many clingers, and many questions. i think my favorite job at Casa Feliz is helping in the kitchen...I've been learning to make some bomb Honduran dishes. Baleadas, sopas, jugos, tortillas, arroz y frijoles, etc etc. And, i know i'm not supposed to have favorites, but i naturally have a few at the orphange. Leti is one of my favs.... she is 9 years-old, and soooo guapita :) today, she was washing here tennis shoes in the basin, scrubbing away like she was an old pro, and we were just chatting away...she asked me in spanish 'if i could take a trip?'. and i responded with, 'a trip to where?'...and she said, 'a trip to sleep at the orphanage'... She wanted me to stay with her!! I love her more and more every day.. and the rest of the 18 kids as well. they are precious in the sight of the Lord and in my sight, i love them dearly.
well, one last little thing that i will share is the new ability i have discovered within me to kill predators...predators such as cucarachas. last night alone i killed 2 in my bedroom, yes my bedroom. and i saw 1 gecko in my bedroom and 2 in the bathroom. sick. but the geckos eat cucarachas so i have decided to welcome them. i feel like i am living in the jungla...well, i guess i kind of am.
love to all. i am praying for your lives back in the states. remember that i am always open to visitors here!!
Dios te bendiga y te cuide... Abrazos y besos!!