And if the salt has gained new flavor?

I have now arrived in Akron, Pennsylvania and am with the SALTers from around the world. Its been a wonderful couple of days. I'll move on to visit my brother and EMU people in Harrisonburg, then to a family reunion at Laurelville Mennonite Camp then to Liz' friend's wedding in Newton, Kansas. then I'll take a train to Purdue and hopefully connect with friends from Camp Tecumseh (where I worked last year) and friends from Purdue, then my parents will come pick me up. and take me back to Elkhart. All of that is extremely exciting, but I'm sad about the fact that I'm already exhausted. Not doing consistent exercise for about a year will take a toll on you.

Its quite apparent that the same affliction has fallen on most of the rest of the SALTers as well. Evidence was shown in the disappearance of tone and muscle size during our ultimate frisbee game the other day. My calves are still killing me. I've started out into vegetarianism as well and I'm struggling to find sources of lots of protein.

But personal fitness was the least of our worries. Today we had small-group meetings where we talked about our greatest struggles this last year. It was quite powerful as many SALTers shared deeply about being trapped in social or physical boundaries. We all were trapped at some point because of language difficulties, some people unexpectedly had to learn an indigenous language. People shared about tough host family, work, and community situations that they dealt with the whole year. In a few cases, they were able to come out at the end with an acceptable resolution, but a lot of them just had to learn how to cope. Some people who were bubbly last year are now startlingly quiet, others where had appeared muted and emotionless last year expressed powerful emotion and passion.

Its been tough. We are tired. We were hit with things we never expected and confused for months over things that shouldn't have been ours to worry about in the first place. We have cried nights away, spent hours clearing out abused intestines, and run away to hundreds of worlds in the books we read. I think we have all come out of the experience stronger. We have more understanding of ourselves and definitely more understanding of foreigners and their cultures. We have developed passion for personal and community development, passion for right relationships, passion for life, love, and peace. Please, be gentle with us.

Las Palabritas

The last couple of weeks here have been kind of crazy. Honduras has been undergoing some serious political issues. In case Michael Jackson has taken priority over Honduras in your news, I’ll recap.

Former president Mel Zelaya had been pushing a public inquiry to open the constitution to change in a way many suspected would be similar to Venezuelan Hugo Chavez’ recent changes (highly left-wing, but also with a clause to allow him to run for president again). On the day that the inquiry was to happen, Honduran military took Zelaya to Costa Rica and Roberto Micheletti (presidential candidate in recent caucus) was put into power by Congress. Zelaya and Chavez threw threats of war around for a couple of days then settled to push Zelaya’s reinstatement through the Organization of American States (OEA). Zelaya also went to the UN, where he found support. From what it looked like on the TV, protests for and against the new government were raging in the biggest cities around the country. Lastimosamente, one or two protesters were killed by police when Zelaya tried to fly in to Tegucigalpa last week. Since then, aid money to Honduras has been delayed and there have been vague threats of trade/oil embargos which do a fairly good job of striking fear into rural people. Zelaya has said that he is going to appear in Honduras sometime soon.

Though life goes on as usual, it has been a pretty frightening experience out here in La Campa. I think that’s mostly because being so far away from all the action and straining all day to hear reports of anything on the radio really gets your imagination going. I went to San Pedro Sula over one weekend that looked a little dicey, but the 10pm to 6am curfew made sleeping downtown feel like La Campa, minus the roosters.

Zelaya was taken out on a Sunday. Similar to Amanda and Andrew’s experience, church that day was very good to me. A guest speaker preached an uplifting message of hope and faith because as Christians, our citizenship is of heaven, not of any country, and we know that God is with us. During the church service, I couldn’t stop looking at the plump, smiling, wide-eyed babies all around me. It weighs on my heart that this event is and will continue to provoke a massive uncertainty for the future of those babies. What does this mean for their education? For their life opportunities, slim as they may be? Will they be like the children of Baghdad, six years old and unaware of an empowered life, always subject to the whim of a random bomb or rocket attack?

Thankfully, protests have not become seriously violent. As always, we are reminded to pray for the future and these children. The national (and global) divide between the ultra-rich and the rest as well as their grip on politics and the economy continue to grow. All of this leaves room for plenty of incertidumbre, a good, awkward word to describe feelings of unsureness.

As I prepare to leave, I find myself looking into the eyes of my Honduran friends and trying to push away that shadowy, persistent demon of incertidumbre. And then we talk and the bond of life, joy, friendship, love, and hope starts shining and brightening between us.

Photos to pass the time

Probably the last photos I will post here in Honduras

I'm at the MCC farm near Lago Yojoa with the Stephens family. Its been fun to to hang out and see some farm work and dull a machete on some rocks. The political situation here has been preoccupante this week. I feel like it should be alright, but the situation is a little more worrying for the Hondurans as international aid money is being cut and possible sanctions could be applied. I went to church last Sunday after hearing that the president had been taken to Costa Rica and I saw the usual load of babies and small children there. With the political situation as it is, it makes me wonder about their future. It is heavy on my heart that while I can leave easily and carry on with my life, the children of Honduras's education, their parent's livelihood, and a million other things are in jeopardy. So please, take a moment to pray for Honduras and its people, wisdom for Honduran and other Latin American leaders.

Thanks!