Final Reflection

Hello Everyone,
I wrote a reflection when I got back and I figured as my last post to this blog, I'd post my reflection. Hope you enjoy :)! -Courtney

When thinking about the two weeks I spent in Honduras, I can not help but think how

much it changed me. It was the most intense and challenging two weeks I have ever experienced,

but I would not change a minute of it. I was fully immersed in the Honduran culture and

experienced life the way many of them do everyday. Solidarity is something that I feel I

experienced in its entirety. From bucket showers to sleeping on thin mattresses on the floor, I

learned a great deal about what poverty in a third world country means.

Not only did I experience solidarity with my living arrangements, but also through

working with the local teenagers in helping build two basic houses. They had a type of joy for

life that I could not help but admire. It gave me a new viewpoint on what my attitude should be.

They were so happy and content with such a simple and basic lifestyle, it really put my

complaints in perspective. The simplicity of life in Honduras continued to amaze me everyday. It

humbled me and reminded me how much materialistic things really do not matter. Their

personalities were something that rubbed off on me and I am so thankful for that. The friendships

they offered me are so beautiful and I will carry a little piece of each of them with me

everywhere. I also enjoyed getting to know the other girls on my team that came from Northern

Arizona University. I could not be more thankful for the group I ventured with for those two

weeks. Through this experience I made new friendships and got to see many different strong

personality traits displayed that in the end made me a stronger person and made the whole

experience even better!

In addition, I got to learn plenty about basic construction work and how difficult physical

labor can really be. It gave me a new appreciation for construction jobs; I never knew how much

work it really was! I am also very pleased and grateful that I got to learn how to make cement

and lay bricks. The work we did felt a bit tedious at times, but after seeing the progress we made

each day and seeing the families we were building for, it all became worth it. One of the families

we built a house for will continue to be on my mind every day because the conditions this single

mother endured has inspired me to find just in working conditions. This woman works whenever

she can and when she does she takes her kids with her and will work in the fields all day for a

payment of only four U.S. dollars. I am determined to learn more about how I can change

working conditions for people like her.

I also enjoyed experiencing church in Honduras. Their love for Christ was so prevalent

and passionate. With all their struggles, I admire all the love they continue to show day in and

day out. On the first day we were there we went to a park in the capital, Tegucigalpa, called El

Picacho City Park and saw how even after Hurricane Mitch they still showed their love for God

by building a statue for him. I admire their faith and strength and it made me evaluate my own

spirituality and gave me a new sense of strength in my religious beliefs and values.

It was also interesting to me to be able to learn about their government and all about the

military coup. I got to see poverty and then learn why it exists. It saddened me to find out how

much the United States government actually impacts not only Honduras, but Central America in

general. I learned a lot about simply keeping myself educated about what is going on around the

world. This trip is something that will continue to impact me for the rest of my life. It has

impacted what companies I will choose to support with my business and which ones I will not.

Experiencing Honduras has opened my eyes and has forced me to change the way I look

at the world. It is no longer an option for me to live a life of being naïve. I alone may not change

the world but it is the little actions I make that will eventually make the bigger change.

pictures!!

looking back

Well I am still trying to catch up on sleep, luckily the time difference between Honduras and the U.S. is only an hour. So I was thinking about the reflection paper that I have to write about my trip to Honduras, and decided that I would sum up my trip with you all.

Our first work day was... well not what I expected at all, all we did was shovel buckets of sand and carry them up a hill to where the house was being built. It wouldn't have been so bad, but the local volunteers would have full buckets of sand and carry them with ease and then make a little joke when one of us tried to do the same thing, and did not succeed. For about three days after this work day we were all very sore, but luckily that was the only time we were sore.

In our free time we would sometimes walk to the Internet Cafe, it was about a ten minute walk, to write in our blog and send e-mails to friends and family. We would usually read, write in our journals or take a nap after a hard work day.

Some things that I will miss are the lush scenery, friendly people, a new culture, and knowing that I am helping people. But I will not miss putting bug spray on before I go to bed and then again when I wake up and the lack of running water.

If I am ever given another opportunity to visit another country to do a mission trip, I will definitely do it, and I recommend that you should too if given the chance,

Pictures part 2

Here are some more pictures of our group a.ka. our family for two weeks :). We'll try to post a couple more, but this is all for now.

Pictures part 1

Here are a couple pictures from our trip :) and I'll post a couple more on another blog!

Charlie´s Angels

So we are currently in a hotel in Tegucigalpa, it´s amazing having beds and running water, haha. We are starting to get excited about our flight home tomorrow, yay!! Last night we had a small fiesta with the local volunteers and the families that we built the houses for. We played card games, ate cake, and tried to socialize (it was difficult because of the language barrier). It was emotional saying good-bye to our new friends and hearing their kind words towards us. Today we visited a university in Tegucigalpa, it was quite pretty and enjoyed delicious smoothies. Well we will write again when we are back in the states.

Courtney and Ashley

...and then I found 20 lipedas!

As we prepare ourselves to head home, I get feelings of excitment and sadness. This really has been the most challenging, yet most amazing experience of my life. I can´t wait to share how much this trip has impacted me. I will never forget all the wonderful, kind people that have opened their hearts to me and how much I´ve learned about solidarity and living a completely different life than my own. This will probably be the last post from me on this trip, so I thought I should say thank you for all the thoughts and prayers. Also, instead of having a work day tomorrow our leader arranged for us to go see the local university and the capital square so I´m very excited to experience something different in the Honduran culture. Oh, and Valley of Angels was beautiful. Got to go.
Love and miss you all!
Courtney