The things I will miss

I know the thing that I will miss the most above all else is people. I will miss the kids of Armenia Bonito who we have ministered to week after week for 2 years, watching them grow and change and many of them enter into adolescence. I will miss teammates and other American missionaries who have became family to me when I have had none. I will miss the Honduran moms which the Lord has enabled me to bond with over time because no matter what our cultural differences the problems with raising kids are all the same. I will miss Sra. Olga down the street who has become like a grandmother to my girls spoiling them with all kinds of surprises every time we see her. I will miss the bagger in the grocery store who knows me and my family by name always going above and beyond to help me and my little clan get all my groceries to the car. And that is just to name a few.

But I know there are also things about this culture and this place that I will miss and here are a few that came to mind:

Baleadas, a simple meal of beans and tortillas, which people here can eat for 3 meals a day. This is a stable in our family household, since we can buy homemade tortillas down the street, 10 for $1, and refried beans come in a bag, making it a simple meal to throw together. You can put just about any meat or vegetable in a baleada and make it a complete meal.



Fruit stands on every corner of the city, making fresh fruit and veggies easy to come by and always on the way home to pick up for dinner. Not to mention all of the tropical fruits available year round like avocados, pineapples, mangos, and more.



Piling as many people as possible in one car to go somewhere. Car seats are optional here and I know it sounds very unsafe and probably is, but it is funny how many times we have put 20 people in a 12 seater car, making any ride an adventure.



Having the beach a mile away and being able to skip away for a family day to play on the beach and nap in a hammock.



Those are just a few tangible things that came to mind but there are many cultural things that have become normal to me over time and some of these I hope to carry back to the US with me. Some of those things include the lack of planning and scheduling in life, although this can be frustrating at times I have learned to embrace it and become very flexible and have seen a lot of value in your inorganic relationships that form. Caring for your family even when it takes great sacrifices, and especially the elderly. And lastly living with little and finding contentment in few earthly possessions.