Happy Advent!
The time to remember to hope and our perpetual state of waiting and I feel like I have kept the approximate 3 people who read this waiting and my last update wasn't exactly my best work so I'll try it again, and this time with feeling!

It has definitely been awhile... Two weeks ago one of the coordinators of the scholarship program
(Becas) from the States came to get an end of the year report, take pictures and information of certain cases in order to try to find new sponsors for the kids. Since Becas is my primary ministry I spent most of the week taking Charice on home visits and physical therapy sessions to translate for her with the help of Juliette and Lenin, our physical therapist.

At times there were definitely awkward conversations I found myself in, such as asking parents why their special needs child isn't attending certain services, or going to Casa Ayuda (a special needs school in Comayagua). Other awkward translating moments was during the end of the year meeting about the Program of Becas and trying to figure out who met the requirements to continue in the program and how many new children we can afford to support before the beginning of the school year in January. This may not sound awkward but if it were up to me everyone would stay in the program and we could accept 50 new kids, this is why I am not a very business oriented person.

After a lot of meetings, walking to houses, and coffee with parents, Charice had to head back and I hope that the trip was productive from the Stateside perspective! Bringing Charice to the airport was a mini adventure in itself because this was the first time that I have driven outside of Comayagua and into a medium to large size city... oh yeah in Central America. Juliette, Roger, and Aidan said they would come with me on the 6 hour trip there and back. I felt like a real Honduran driver, passing cars and trucks on a 2 lane highway through the mountains, which for me is a feat considering I am usually a timid driver. I'm not going to lie there were a few bad words shouted in English but all in all we arrived there and back, and not without stopping for dinner next to the lake. Carol was disappointed that none of us ordered the fish, the type of fish that is fried whole and when it comes out on your plate it is staring at you. In my defense I was following what the Honduran ordered, and Roger ordered chicken.

The following day was the beginning of our Becas Retreat in the Mountains, so after packing up the trucks, I helped shuttle kids from our neighborhood to the bus station, and then spent another 3 hours in the car going up mountain, until we arrived in Florida. This trip doesn't compare at all to the ones the kids took, 5 hours and between 2 buses, but I paid my dues on the way back. I was never involved in youth group or participated in retreats during high school so I didn't really know what to expect, but from what I hear, high school kids are high school kids. Most of the kids were really engaged, which was moving, and only a handful were not. I told my Mom, "I love them all in groups of 3 but 50 at a time is tough!"

A few from our group went turned against the Gringo volunteers and started to make fun of our Spanish. Me, Aidan, Juliette and Lily all found ourselves defending one another on one couch. Not wanting to let the rule of the mob continue to increase and out of my mere impatience, I began to sass them back saying, "You don't speak perfect Spanish either! You have accents!" I continued sassing until I reached that ultimate point that every parent/teacher/chaperon of teenagers reaches, when you are left with your mouth open and your finger in the air with nothing left to say when Aidan concluded for me dryly in English: "So you can kiss my but." The kids had no idea what he said, but it was exactly what I needed in order to laugh it off... for a good 10 minutes. The kind of laugh that I have when I get close to needing an inhaler. It allowed me to move from the annoyance to being attentive during Fr. Max's talk on Divine Mercy (which was hilarious, way more than it sounds), to being in awe of the kids love and responsiveness in Adoration.

Later that night the girl chaperons were staying with a family at a house, and when we reached the house at 10 pm the house was locked with all of our things inside and no one was there. We walked back to the Church and some of the guy chaperons walked back with us to confirm that we were locked out. I was exhausted and literally in tears, and I felt in accordance with the season that we were in solidarity with the Holy Family with no where to stay. We went back to Padre Max's and he began calling people and offered us what he had to eat: cookies, bananas, and red wine. Eventually we found out that the family went to a party and we got into the house to sleep to wake up very early. The bus trip back was uneventful for the most part, besides the fact that I bought a cup of coffee for 30 cents and that we got a flat tire, and had walk the last mile to our house.

After everything we were able to get some rest and went on a community retreat in Tegucigalpa, at retreat center across the street from the Catholic University of Honduras. For a second I pretended I was at the Dominican House and then took my first warm shower in 3 months. We were well rested and spent last half of our retreat with Sisters who live by Our Lady of Suyapa. The history of the miracle isn't that exciting but the basilica is beautiful and it over looks the city where all of the excitement happened this summer.

Elections came and went peacefully, along with our Thanksgiving dinner. It was a little stressful during the day so it felt like a real family holiday. But don't worry it was delicious! The Hondurans weren't too crazy about our Gringo food but I made a sacrifice and helped out where I could :)

This week we had to do an information intake of all the kids in Becas, what their grades are, how many volunteer hours they need to make up, formation hours and dun dun dun... how they are going to make it all up in the next 3 weeks! Excelente plus! There are not a lot of happy campers around here, especially those who have to make up 50 hours of volunteer work. The bright side of my week has been helping girls find dresses for their first Holy Communion. Literally I'm like Say Yes to the Dress, Honduran style... and for little girls. I found a dress for this chubby little girl because I gave one to her mother and she had to bring it back because it didn't fit. I felt bad because the woman said to me "I told you she was fat!" But when she put the one that fit on, I watched her face as Juliette zipped it up and she looked down at herself so happy to be in the most beautiful thing she has ever worn. It might sound stupid, but I welled up. Ok that's enough.

I'm adding a picture of my very short haircut. It's already growing out so I want to show it at it's peak, in the picture I'm with Dulce a girl in our program who is absolutely amazing! And she didn't make fun of my hair.
I'm also going to add a picture of the Basilica, it's so beautiful!

I'm going to be home so soon, and I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving, thank you for all of your prayers!

Hannah