Hello friends!!!
The farm is still looking for volunteers for next October. If you know anyone who might be interested in volunteering this year, please let us know. The farm´s website is farmofthechild.org. If you are interested, you can email either me (jennymontague@gmail.com) or Andrea, our volunteer coordinator, at farmofthechildusa@yahool.com
paz,
Jenny
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Back in Honduras
Honduran Medicine. Last week I translated for a medical brigade that came down from
Scorpion on the loose! As many of you know, I talk of spiders as my arch nemesis, but I have to admit that I have an equal dislike of scorpions. Since I have been here, I have not had to deal with this unwanted creature because when I find them they are either already dead, or I run the other way while the male volunteers “take care of it”… until last night. Several of us were brushing out teeth before going to bed last night when I hear “SCORPION!!!” ring down the hall. I paused for a few seconds waiting for the first macho male volunteer to come to the rescue. But I soon realized that they were all gone on vacation and I was going to have to take care of it. Trembling and with broom in hand, I walked into the bathroom to find the fattest scorpion I have ever seen. Somehow, the fat ones are scarier. I stabbed at it with the end of the boom and when I completely missed, his stinger instantly flew into the air in attack mode. After my second failed attempt he fell to the floor, and I went flying out of the room. I poked my head back in the room just in time to see his fat tale squeeze through a hole in the wall. I banged on the wall several time with the end of the broom as if to say “and there is more where that came from if you show up here again” making sure I was well out of stinger’s reach if he actually crawled back out of the hole. All I can say is that the boys had better get back from vacation soon…
The voices of Christ. Every morning all of the volunteers and kids gather in the church for morning prayer. This week the kids are on vacation from school, so Monday morning only a handful of kids made it to prayer (I admit it was difficult to get myself there). One of the volunteers walked over to find out why the kids hadn’t come that morning (assuming they were still asleep) and heard 3 small voices praying inside the house. The kids were stuck in the house because their parents had over slept, so the girls gathered around a book and prayed together in the house. It is in these moments that I know that despite our insufficiencies, God is alive and doing great things.
Well friends, as always, thank you for your letters and emails. It is always so wonderful to hear about how you are doing, the latest on tech invention, medical break through, good wine, the election or funny stories from Hollywood. Please write me and tell me how you are doing on the completion of the first half of 2008. I love you all dearly and look forward to hearing from you soon!
paz,
Jenny
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Oh happy May!
Hello friends, family, and groupies!
I am writing to wish you a marvelously magnificently merry 3rd ‘o may!
Dude, is it really May? Yikes! Where did April go?
The drizzly Tuesday, April 19th. I was looking through the cabinets in search of inspiration to make lunch for the community. Instead of inspiration, I encountered two sets of whiskers attached to wiggling noses in one of the tupperware boxes where we keep our food. I sprang into hunting mode, slamming the box shut to trap the mice inside, but they were one step ahead of me! They chewed a hole in the box and rat #1 hopped out and ran up the wall (yes, the rats here, much like Spiderman can climb vertical walls). While I attempted to smash him with a rake, I completely missed and he ran to safety, so I focused on rat #2. Not wanting t get bit, nor wanting to let him get away I covered the hole with a potholder while screaming for help, but sadly no one came to my rescue. So much for the role of damsel in distress! I wrapped my hands and arms in potholders, towels and oven mitts and carried the box outside. Laura, a fellow vol, happened to be walking by the house, so I yelled at her to get the cat that lives in the house next to us. After a mini eternity, she came back not with out mouser, but with a machete. I ripped the box lid off, a got my toes out of the way as she slayed our feeble intruder. Laura and I shouted in triumph and danced a jig in the rain as our Honduran co-workers watched on, shaking their heads. “They are so strange,” one of the Franciscan sisters said. “They won’t even kill the chickens”
Jenny
Sunday, March 30, 2008
¡¡Hola de Honduras!!
Hey everyone! I am sorry that these blog posting are becomming less frequent (I feel that I start every posting like that now!) I am finding it more challanging to write down my experiences and thoughts partly due to the fact that as my Spanish improves, my English get worse, and partly because there is always so much going on it is difficult to choose one story or experience that would be worthwhile sending to y’all! Thanks for all the letters and emails!! It is so great to keep up (at least a little) with your lives and stories! Keep them comming!! :)
So I have to start this out by saying, scabies are quite annoying! I have new empathy/bitterness for all those little children who have come into the clinic infested with that horrid little mite. Empathy as I realize that they itch worse than anything I have ever experienced, and bitterness because the little turds gave them to me! Oh well, occupational hazard, huh? But I have to share the secrete to stopping the itching. Listerine! Yes, the mouth wash. It is truly a miracle liquid! It not only sooths itchy skin, but also repels mosquitoes! The best part is that the off brand works too! I love that stuff!
A couple of weeks ago, the vols had a retreat at a retreat center in the middle of an orange orchard. It rained almost the entire time we were there, so I let the rain on the tin roof lull me to sleep. It was wonderful! We had a watermelon spitting contest, and my 12 years of chewing sunflower seeds in softball games proved to be most beneficial. After collecting oranges to eat (so delicious) we found a tree that was lacking leaves, but full of rotting oranges. Out of no where came a bat shaped stick, and a couple volunteers, myself and two random kids that showed up found ourselves playing soft toss for at least an hour. Should the opportunity ever come up to play soft toss with rotting oranges in the future, I will give you some pointers. The smaller ones that are a little harder fly better (good for showing off), but the big squishy ones are really fun to smash (and put a lovely orange aroma in the air).
What else… prep for visiting dentist next week (I am so excited!), visiting docs, med students, unconscious pregnant women, CPR in moving vehicles, 4 new children at the finca, giant Easter egg hunts, new tire swings, teaching swimming lessons (yay for sharks and minnows), collapsing on the floor from laughter, beautiful rainy days, writing budgets, crying from exhaustion, malaria outbreak (I am protected because I take a preventative medicine every week), reading the Joy Luck Club, visiting a nearby (8 hours by bus) orphanage and kissing the ground in thanksgiving when returning to the farm (we have such wonderful kids and staff!), treating asthma attacks in rain storms, biting ants, beautiful friendships, missing family and friends, good letters, interrupted prayer time, more prayer time, and a lot of loving- both given and received.
I love you all and miss you! I hope that the easter season is finding you all full of joy!
Blessings and peace,
Jenny
So I have to start this out by saying, scabies are quite annoying! I have new empathy/bitterness for all those little children who have come into the clinic infested with that horrid little mite. Empathy as I realize that they itch worse than anything I have ever experienced, and bitterness because the little turds gave them to me! Oh well, occupational hazard, huh? But I have to share the secrete to stopping the itching. Listerine! Yes, the mouth wash. It is truly a miracle liquid! It not only sooths itchy skin, but also repels mosquitoes! The best part is that the off brand works too! I love that stuff!
A couple of weeks ago, the vols had a retreat at a retreat center in the middle of an orange orchard. It rained almost the entire time we were there, so I let the rain on the tin roof lull me to sleep. It was wonderful! We had a watermelon spitting contest, and my 12 years of chewing sunflower seeds in softball games proved to be most beneficial. After collecting oranges to eat (so delicious) we found a tree that was lacking leaves, but full of rotting oranges. Out of no where came a bat shaped stick, and a couple volunteers, myself and two random kids that showed up found ourselves playing soft toss for at least an hour. Should the opportunity ever come up to play soft toss with rotting oranges in the future, I will give you some pointers. The smaller ones that are a little harder fly better (good for showing off), but the big squishy ones are really fun to smash (and put a lovely orange aroma in the air).
What else… prep for visiting dentist next week (I am so excited!), visiting docs, med students, unconscious pregnant women, CPR in moving vehicles, 4 new children at the finca, giant Easter egg hunts, new tire swings, teaching swimming lessons (yay for sharks and minnows), collapsing on the floor from laughter, beautiful rainy days, writing budgets, crying from exhaustion, malaria outbreak (I am protected because I take a preventative medicine every week), reading the Joy Luck Club, visiting a nearby (8 hours by bus) orphanage and kissing the ground in thanksgiving when returning to the farm (we have such wonderful kids and staff!), treating asthma attacks in rain storms, biting ants, beautiful friendships, missing family and friends, good letters, interrupted prayer time, more prayer time, and a lot of loving- both given and received.
I love you all and miss you! I hope that the easter season is finding you all full of joy!
Blessings and peace,
Jenny
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
New Year´s reflections
MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY GOUND HOG’S DAY! (ha! I am early for one of them!)
How has the holidays left all of you? Hopefully refreshed with God’s love and ready to conquer 2008!
Christmas here was quite a treat. Christmas Eve morn began chasing around two 7 year old boys with their new carritos (little cars) from Santa and winded down after mass, Christmas plays, tamales, neighbors, a midnight prayer circle under a full moon, and a late night discussion of Christmas traditions.
Even with all the joys of the Christmas season, I find myself struggling spiritually. We have a plethora of prayer services. The days when I am really focused, and the priest is really clear, I can get the homily, but even these days are dry. Last week, I was in mass with the children, and for the first time in a while, I was consumed by God’s presence in the room. It stated to rain pretty strongly, and there was a wind that made the rafters of the church sing. In that moment, I could feel God’s love. It was like giving a glass of water to a parched man in the desert. The entire mass went like this. It was wonderful. During the kiss of peace (when you shake hands and say “peace be with you” with other members of the community), Magdalena came up to me (if I have not told you about this little girl before, I apologize. She is a 7 year old girl with enough gozo (joy) to bring peace to the world, and a smile that would make the worst dictator melt before her) put her hands on the her cheeks smiled at me with a little squeal of excitement. I picked her up to give her a hug and she put her hands on both of my cheeks and brought by head forward so our foreheads touched. I almost started crying as I was overtaken by God’s love through this little girl.
My struggles here are a result of God’s changing appearance. He used to look like a well kept church, a man dressed in robes, a little wafer of unleavened wheat. Here, God is Magdalena, José Pastor, Sadie, Angel David, the mother of 10 who breaks down in tears of despair as I find her 11th child’s heartbeat to be strong and healthy in her belly, the volunteer who spends extra money and 5 hours to cook a special Christmas meal for the 10 of us who are missing our friends and families, the two determined boys who walk down a mountain with heavy sacks of vegetables while their older and stronger brothers complain as they carry a stick of sugar cane.
I encounter God every day here. Some days, when my eyes are open, I see Him.
Despair often creeps into the work here, and there are many moments when I want to throw up my hands in disgust and take the next flight home. After three months, I am finding myself shrinking. I am reminded that this is not my project. I am not the master builder, but only one worker. I am not here to fix centuries and cycles of poverty and abuse. I am here to do my little part by loving those people whom I get to encounter. I am here to work with what I have and with who I am to do the work God has given me; nothing more and nothing less.
Thank you for the work that you do. Thank you for saying YES to your part in this world as it is good, necessary, and of God.
learning what love is,
Jenny
How has the holidays left all of you? Hopefully refreshed with God’s love and ready to conquer 2008!
Christmas here was quite a treat. Christmas Eve morn began chasing around two 7 year old boys with their new carritos (little cars) from Santa and winded down after mass, Christmas plays, tamales, neighbors, a midnight prayer circle under a full moon, and a late night discussion of Christmas traditions.
Even with all the joys of the Christmas season, I find myself struggling spiritually. We have a plethora of prayer services. The days when I am really focused, and the priest is really clear, I can get the homily, but even these days are dry. Last week, I was in mass with the children, and for the first time in a while, I was consumed by God’s presence in the room. It stated to rain pretty strongly, and there was a wind that made the rafters of the church sing. In that moment, I could feel God’s love. It was like giving a glass of water to a parched man in the desert. The entire mass went like this. It was wonderful. During the kiss of peace (when you shake hands and say “peace be with you” with other members of the community), Magdalena came up to me (if I have not told you about this little girl before, I apologize. She is a 7 year old girl with enough gozo (joy) to bring peace to the world, and a smile that would make the worst dictator melt before her) put her hands on the her cheeks smiled at me with a little squeal of excitement. I picked her up to give her a hug and she put her hands on both of my cheeks and brought by head forward so our foreheads touched. I almost started crying as I was overtaken by God’s love through this little girl.
My struggles here are a result of God’s changing appearance. He used to look like a well kept church, a man dressed in robes, a little wafer of unleavened wheat. Here, God is Magdalena, José Pastor, Sadie, Angel David, the mother of 10 who breaks down in tears of despair as I find her 11th child’s heartbeat to be strong and healthy in her belly, the volunteer who spends extra money and 5 hours to cook a special Christmas meal for the 10 of us who are missing our friends and families, the two determined boys who walk down a mountain with heavy sacks of vegetables while their older and stronger brothers complain as they carry a stick of sugar cane.
I encounter God every day here. Some days, when my eyes are open, I see Him.
Despair often creeps into the work here, and there are many moments when I want to throw up my hands in disgust and take the next flight home. After three months, I am finding myself shrinking. I am reminded that this is not my project. I am not the master builder, but only one worker. I am not here to fix centuries and cycles of poverty and abuse. I am here to do my little part by loving those people whom I get to encounter. I am here to work with what I have and with who I am to do the work God has given me; nothing more and nothing less.
Thank you for the work that you do. Thank you for saying YES to your part in this world as it is good, necessary, and of God.
learning what love is,
Jenny
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
50 days
Hello my beautiful friends and family!
Whew! Is it November already? It is impossible to believe that I have already been here for over a month!
So let me tell you a little about the farm as I have experienced it in the last 50 days…
Clinica: mi otra casa…
The official clinic hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from 8-12:30. The clinic is open to our neighbors and surrounding villages for basic health care. We treat acute illness, have few chronic-illness services for patients with diabetes and hypertension, as well as offer well child and pre-natal checkups. We get a wide array of issues, and I am learning new things every day.
Thankfully, town is only about a 30 minute ride down the road, so anything serious is referred to the hospital.
Grupo de mujeres:
This is definitely one of the highlights of my week. Every Thursday afternoon, I get to visit our neighbors with a few other volunteers and participate in a women’s bible study. This is a great time to build relationships with our neighbors, as well as realize how far I have to go with my Spanish! I often feel lost in the conversation, but I am grateful just to get to spend time with them. Their faith and wisdom are inspiring.
La finca
So I don’t think I have really mentioned anything about how the farm is structured. For those inquiring minds…There are three phases to the farm. Phase 1 is life on the farm. The kids live and go to school on the farm. After graduation from 9th grade, they move into phase 2 which is located in a town (la ceiba) about three hours from the farm. These kids are continuing their education in school and learning to live more independently. There are two houses, one for boys and one for girls with one volunteer in each house. Phase three is comprised of those kids living completely independently of the farm.
Despedida
This last week has been bitter sweet. It began with the arrival of the kids from phase two visiting the farm. It is so much fun to have older kids on the farm! There are several families of children who live here, so it is has been fun to get to see the families together again. It feels like older siblings coming home from college. Several of our kids have recently graduated from phase one, and will be leaving for ceiba this week. I am sad to see them go, but so excited to see them grow and mature into adulthood. I had not expected how quickly I would come to love these kids. Just after knowing them for a month, I feel a great sense of loss with their departure. It is really incredible to see their willingness and desire to let us be a part of their lives.
cartas
I have recently taken to writing letters. It is so much more enjoyable than spending hours on these frustrating computers! I was so spoiled with cable internet in the states! So if you could please email me your mailing addresses (jennymontague@gmail.com) so I can send you the letters I have written for you!
Oh, as some of you have been asking. My address here is:
Finca del nino, Apartado 110
Trujillo, Colon, Honduras,
Central America.
I think postage to Honduras is about 90 cents. DON’T send cardboard box packages! It can take anywhere from several months to eternity to get here. If you want to send a package, it is safer to put them in those yellow or white padded envelopes (I like chocolate).
So that is a oh-so-brief overview of what I have been doing this past month. It really doesn’t do this place justice. I am so grateful to get to be here, and I am learning so much. Please keep me updates on your lives! I miss you all and can’t wait to hear from you! Oh, and if any of you find yourself in the area, you are always more than welcome to visit. Just let me know ahead of time so I can take some time off!
Until next time...
Whew! Is it November already? It is impossible to believe that I have already been here for over a month!
So let me tell you a little about the farm as I have experienced it in the last 50 days…
Clinica: mi otra casa…
The official clinic hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from 8-12:30. The clinic is open to our neighbors and surrounding villages for basic health care. We treat acute illness, have few chronic-illness services for patients with diabetes and hypertension, as well as offer well child and pre-natal checkups. We get a wide array of issues, and I am learning new things every day.
Thankfully, town is only about a 30 minute ride down the road, so anything serious is referred to the hospital.
Grupo de mujeres:
This is definitely one of the highlights of my week. Every Thursday afternoon, I get to visit our neighbors with a few other volunteers and participate in a women’s bible study. This is a great time to build relationships with our neighbors, as well as realize how far I have to go with my Spanish! I often feel lost in the conversation, but I am grateful just to get to spend time with them. Their faith and wisdom are inspiring.
La finca
So I don’t think I have really mentioned anything about how the farm is structured. For those inquiring minds…There are three phases to the farm. Phase 1 is life on the farm. The kids live and go to school on the farm. After graduation from 9th grade, they move into phase 2 which is located in a town (la ceiba) about three hours from the farm. These kids are continuing their education in school and learning to live more independently. There are two houses, one for boys and one for girls with one volunteer in each house. Phase three is comprised of those kids living completely independently of the farm.
Despedida
This last week has been bitter sweet. It began with the arrival of the kids from phase two visiting the farm. It is so much fun to have older kids on the farm! There are several families of children who live here, so it is has been fun to get to see the families together again. It feels like older siblings coming home from college. Several of our kids have recently graduated from phase one, and will be leaving for ceiba this week. I am sad to see them go, but so excited to see them grow and mature into adulthood. I had not expected how quickly I would come to love these kids. Just after knowing them for a month, I feel a great sense of loss with their departure. It is really incredible to see their willingness and desire to let us be a part of their lives.
cartas
I have recently taken to writing letters. It is so much more enjoyable than spending hours on these frustrating computers! I was so spoiled with cable internet in the states! So if you could please email me your mailing addresses (jennymontague@gmail.com) so I can send you the letters I have written for you!
Oh, as some of you have been asking. My address here is:
Finca del nino, Apartado 110
Trujillo, Colon, Honduras,
Central America.
I think postage to Honduras is about 90 cents. DON’T send cardboard box packages! It can take anywhere from several months to eternity to get here. If you want to send a package, it is safer to put them in those yellow or white padded envelopes (I like chocolate).
So that is a oh-so-brief overview of what I have been doing this past month. It really doesn’t do this place justice. I am so grateful to get to be here, and I am learning so much. Please keep me updates on your lives! I miss you all and can’t wait to hear from you! Oh, and if any of you find yourself in the area, you are always more than welcome to visit. Just let me know ahead of time so I can take some time off!
Until next time...
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