Wishing Wells

When one door closes...

2009-04-07T14:48:00.003-05:00

Well, the poor economy has now hit Harding Academy. I got told last Thursday that my contract for next school year isn't being renewed due to budget cuts and low enrollment. I've been asked a million times (okay, so maybe that number is a little exaggerated) what I'm going to do, so let me tell you before you ask... I HAVE NO IDEA. I'm still in the shock and depressed phase to even think about it. Please pray for me that I have a good attitude to finish this school year and for God to open a door for me for next year.

Miscellaneous...

2009-02-16T14:56:00.004-06:00

I doubt people even look at my blog anymore since I haven't written on it in months, but I'll write anyway.

School is flying by; spring break is in two weeks and then it'll be 4th quarter. I am so blessed to have such great students! They put up with my hormonal stupidities. Not having adrenal glands that work effects so much more than I ever realized. The first thing people think of is adrenaline (energy), but there are so many emotional hormones that they produce as well... it's crazy. I can't wait for insurance to decide to give me some medicine!

Softball started last week, so that has added to my stress levels, but I think it'll be a fun year. I don't know how well we'll do, but it should be fun nonetheless.

I'm trying to get a group together to go to Honduras this summer, but I haven't had a great response this year like I did last year. Also, I'm trying to decide if I'm going to Honduras for the right reasons; am I going to help people or because it's a routine for my summer breaks?

Well, I have to go shopping for my niece's 2nd birthday! Carson has quite the personality. Her first birthday was hilarious, so I'm assuming this one will be entertaining as well.

Prayers please...

2008-10-22T15:47:00.002-05:00

I don't know if anyone reads this anymore since I haven't updated it in months, but I'll write this anyway.

I want to ask for prayers for my health. The past 8 months or so have been a struggle. My adrenal glands are working at less than 10% and I have neurological issues that stem back to college that have gotten worse recently.

I'm seeing doctors regularly and am taking tons of pills and supplements every day to make it through, but it costs quite a bit more than I have to spend on medical bills. And with teaching and volleyball there is little time to get the rest I need.

Please pray that my body gets back to normal, so I can give my absolute best to my students, players, friends, and family.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

2008-08-14T10:25:00.002-05:00

My summer (as does everyone's) went by way too quickly. The trip to Honduras went famously! And then the rest of the summer was spent going to the doctor for therapy... but I did get to spend a weekend in Montgomery visiting Brett and Judy (the first time I'd ever seen them in the states) and it was a fun-filled weekend at the Biscuits games. =)

School has started now and we're getting back into the routine... waking up early (like 5:30 ish) and not getting home until late. Volleyball should be pretty good this year- we lost a lot of seniors from last year, but I believe this year's seniors will step up to the plate and do well. My 7th graders are wonderful! I'm still holding my breath, but I believe this will be a great year.

Honduras Trip Days 9-12

2008-07-16T14:43:00.007-05:00

Sunday we had church at the Mission House, got our stuff ready for Tela, and then went to Valle de Angeles (Valley of Angels) to do some shopping. I finally got my pupusa, which was incredible, and I bought a painting to go with the one I had bought a few years ago. It poured down rain while we were there, which made it a pain since there are very few places to duck for cover.

Monday we loaded the buses and headed for Tela (which is by San Pedro Sula) on the beach for our retreat. It is a beautiful beach, like Siesta Key in Florida, and basically this is the only hotel on the beach so we almost had it to ourselves. We played in the ocean, in the incredible pool, and played lots of cards. Tuesday was more of the same and then Wednesday we left for home.

Honduras Trip Days 1 and 2

2008-07-16T14:28:00.002-05:00

On June 27th, the Harding Acadmey group met at school at 11:30pm and drove to Nashville because our flight left at 6:00 am on the 28th. Since the plane crash at the Tegucigalpa airport in May, that airport was closed, so we had to fly into San Pedro Sula. Since we had to change our tickets not everyone was able to get on the same flights. When we got to Miami, 7 from our group were able to go on right away and then were able to take a bus to Teguc that day. However 3 of us had a long layover in Miami and therefore had to spend the night in San Pedro.

I was pretty nervous about it, but God was looking out for us the entire time. Ben, Kadi, and I spent the night at a nice motel (actually one I stayed at when I lived there) and got a good night sleep.

We woke up Sunday morning and went to the restaurant next door, packed our things, and went back to the airport where we met up with another group of TORCHers to ride the bus to Teguc. We got to the Mission House about 7:00 pm and met up with everyone else. It was so much fun to see all my TORCH friends.

Honduras Trip Days 7 and 8

2008-07-16T14:01:00.006-05:00

Friday about 30 of us went to Good Shepherd Children's Home (8 of us to build part of the playground and the rest played with the kids all day). I was on the playground crew. A few people had already been there the week before and set the posts in concrete. We built the floor 7 feet up and then put the roof on. It was a lot of fun and I got to work side by side with Josue who hasn't work with us in a while due to his job at the airport. But since it's closed TORCH hired him for the summer.

Saturday we were determined to have the medical clinic at Didasko orphanage. Dr. Gayle had donated some medicines since our container (full of stuff) hadn't been released yet. The opened up 3 classrooms: doctors/nurses in one, one for the pharmacy, and one for the nutritionists and hygenists. It was so hard to turn people away.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we had a VBS team that went to Didasko, so while we were doing the medical clinic the VBS crew set up a carnival with games and toys and a Veggie Tales movie.

Honduras Trip Days 5 and 6

2008-07-16T13:38:00.006-05:00

Wednesday Tyler, Ken, and I headed up building a house in Neuva Oriental. The house went pretty well. Now, you have to remember that these are not houses like the states... they are one room (16x16) made out of wood with a tin ceiling.

Due to some recent health problems and the hard work I did yesterday, I couldn't do as much as I usually do, but that allowed me to supervise and coordinate everyone while those that didn't have any experience to pick up a hammer and work. It is a great feeling of accomplishment for people that are not good with their hands to be able to hammer in some nails and have a house in a few hours.

After we were finished we met all the other groups at the blind school to visit and play with the kids there. That is something we do every year that everyone looks forward to because this was one of the few places where the kids seem to be well taken care of and loved for.

Thursday a group of us went back to the dump and this time we brought more people and several were on their first trip. Those of us that had gone before were trying to prepare the others, but there were still a few that had a hard time handling it, but that is okay. Sometimes we feel that we have to be able to handle everything that comes our way, but really it's okay to say that we can't.

Afterward, we loaded up the bus with bags of food that an earlier group made and we took them to Nueva Oriental (where our 2 construction teams were working), hiked the mountain passing out the bags of food. It is an amazing experience to give someone food in the name of Jesus and they tell you they didn't know what they were going to feed their children that night for dinner. God has timing that we, as humans, cannot even fathom!

Honduras Trip Days 3 and 4

2008-07-16T10:31:00.011-05:00

There were about 100 of us total on the trip, so each day there were about 4 or 5 projects that we volunteered for. So while I am talking about what I did, just know that there were several other projects going on that I wasn't involved in.

Monday (our first day of work) several of us got to do something we've never done before. 15 of us that had been on several trips made about 300 baggies with half a sandwich, chips, cookies, and a bag of water and then we handed them out to the people that live at the city dump. The leader was trying to prepare us for what we might encounter: he said that we'd be hated and not wanted, that are safety was in question, and to be aware of the people (especially the men) because they sniff glue to lessen the pains of hunger. The complete opposite was true: we felt welcome, appreciated, and safe.

As we drove down the road, we turned a corner and the bus got silent at the sight of 100-150 people digging through heaps of trash trying to find food scraps, anything they could use to live, or anything they could sell, like plastic bottles. Everyone living there carried bags of their "treasures" and would not set it down for any reason for fear that someone would take it. Here, in the states, we put our purses, Ipods, phones, etc, down and if it gets stolen or broken we just buy a new one without thinking much of it. I can't imagine what it's like to hoard someone else's trash as my treasure that I cannot set down.

As we pulled the bus to a stop, a line formed immediately... they have been programmed what to do when a bus pulls up. We had buckets with fresh water and soap that we washed their hands with and, if we let them, would've washed their whole body. Then, they made their way to the back of the bus where several of us stayed to hand out the bags of food. However, when a dump truck came around the corner the line took off running after it because they each wanted the "best" pickings of the load. They ran away from good, never-been-eaten-off-of, food for garbage because that's what they have lived their lives doing. That was the saddest moment of the day for me.

Let's not forget that this is a city dump, so not only are these people competing against other people for survival, but there are dozens of dogs, millions of flies, and thousands of vultures (more than I've ever seen in my life) walking around digging through the same trash. And then there's the smell... a stench like no other you have ever smelled.

One sight that I will never forget is the sight of a young pregnant woman. Can you imagine being a young woman, probably 18-20 years old, living in the streets, being raped over and over again and winding up pregnant. You have no where else to go but to go to the dump, so you have to give birth in the dump and amazingly enough, you and the baby live through it without any doctors. And now you start raising the baby in the dump to live the same lifestyle without any hope of a different life.

There were a few men playing soccer with an old, flat basketball and several of our guys started playing with them. It was so wonderful to see the divisions of status being blown away by a simple game of soccer. These Hondurans are the untouchables of all Hondurans. And here they were laughing and playing together on piles of trash!

Everyone has a story; several were on the run for their lives, so they always kept ski masks and long sleeves on even in 90 degree heat. Another family came from Mexico in hopes of a better job, but that fell through and they had no where else to go. And the list could go on and on.

And as you are focusing on the absolute poverty, you look up and see the incredibly gorgeous view of nature that people in the states would pay millions for. We are so blessed with material possessions, we take them for granted, and are not content. Yet these people are content with their lives and have the faith that their needs will be provided. I want to be like the woman in the dump today... when we said we had enough to give out seconds and thirds, she said, "No, there are others on the other side that need it." In her utter poverty and desolation she was thinking of others!

Tuesday I went to the bodega (warehouse) where a group of us split up: half of us were taking stucco off to be redone and the other half were doing painting inside. I was doing the stucco outside and my right arm went into complete exhaustion when all you have to work with is a claw hammer.

While we were doing that another group was doing a "Gatorade Blitz" where they went to the store, bought a bunch of Gatorade, and then drove around town handing it out to the city workers that sweeps the streets and pick up trash. They earn about a dollar a day in wages and usually do not have anything to eat or drink during the work day.

Other activities included visiting the hospital, visiting orphanages, and building houses.

What is your story?

2008-05-14T12:02:00.002-05:00

Monday, in chapel, the speaker started talking about what makes a good story. You have to set up the characters, then there must be some conflict, and then there's the final resolution.

He, then, related it to our lives. For instance, who wants to see a movie about how this kid wants to get the newest cell phone. That's boring... no one would want to go see that movie. But a good movie has a plot and our goal as Christians is to stand before God and he say to us, "Well done good and faithful servant." So, now our story must be how we're going to get to that scene.

Even though he was mainly talking to a group of high schoolers I think everyone benefits from being reminded that life is not supposed to be safe. If our goal in life is to be safe, then we have a pretty boring story and being safe doesn't bring people to know Christ. In this day and age when crime is so rampant staying safe is a goal that many people have, especially those with children. But, I challenge everyone to step out of their comfort zone little by little for the sake of bringing people to Christ. Yes, it will be uncomfortable and maybe even a little dangerous or scary, but our lives aren't ours to live. God gave us life to use for His glory, not ours.

What are your thoughts?

Spring Break

2008-04-09T09:12:00.005-05:00

It has been too long since I have written anything, so I apologize for that.

Life is hectic (as always) with teaching, softball, and getting projects done for our mission trip this summer. Spring break was a nice change of pace where I got to visit friends and family in Washington state.

I got to Seattle on Tuesday around lunch time and went to my Aunt Jody's house where I was going to stay the night. After a few hours of talking I drive over to my Uncle Digger's house. When I got to his house there was a note on the door that they had to pick their dog up from the vet and to come on in. I assumed that we'd have dinner at the house since it was only 5:30 and we couldn't go out because their dog, Packwood, just had surgery and couldn't be left alone. Here I was talking with them and all I was really thinking about was food. I had planned to go to Paradise, WA to do some hiking the next day and when I told my uncle he said, "Don't you dare!! That place is still snow-packed." So we figured out a place in the lowlands in Rainier National Park that was safe for me to go hiking.

As Wednesday morning rolls around Jody and I go for breakfast and then I pack up and leave for Randle, WA in Rainier N.P. I'm following the directions and I cannot find the trail that I was planning on hiking. I keep driving and I found a visitor center at Cispus River. I go in, get a trail map, and head on my way. They always say to plan for the worst, so I had extra socks, jacket, gloves, hat, food, water, and flash light. The lady inside the visitor center said that part of the trail had some damage.

At this point, I am feeling good, taking lots of pictures, and I'm ready to commune with nature. I pass some beautiful falls that you can walk behind and I start up hill on the other side of the falls. This is the point where the lady said there was some damage, but it looked pretty clear so I kept going. As I got higher and higher, the path started getting narrower and narrower. The higher I got the more snow covered the ground, but I was sure I could see the path on the other side so I kept going. About 50 feet into the snow-covered ground I looked around me and I couldn't see the path at all. The best thing for me to do was to follow my footprints back the way I came. However, when there's lots of other footprints (the snow had been there awhile) it's not as easy as it sounds. I must've been following someone else's footprints because I ended up no where near where I started.

People think I'm pretty calm and collected, but in reality, I can panic quite easily. And this was one of those times where I started to panic because I am miles from the nearest person and there are waterfalls, which means even if I yell (and I tried) no one will be able to hear me. I am on the side of a mountain with such an incline that if I lose my footing at all the only thing stopping me from a 200 foot fall are trees. After an hour and a half of being lost, I gave up control and said (more like yelled), "God, if you just get me back to the trail sign by dark I will be okay." Not more than 2 minutes went by and I looked up and there was the sign. There's a lesson in itself!

So, I made it back in one piece... a little dirty and bruised, but in one piece. That night I drove down to Oregon City to stay with my cousin, Jeff, and his family. Thursday I did some visiting with Dale, the head coach I worked for (who's more like a Dad), and his family and then with other cousins, JoLynn and Amy, and their kids.

Friday, Jeff and I went hiking up Beacon Rock and Rodney falls. Beacon Rock is a hike that is only a mile, but it is straight up hill! When we got to the top it was very windy. We looked around and there was a bald eagle just soaring over the tops of the trees! It soared and came up behind the rock and then hovered about 20 feet right over us! It was so beautiful.

Then, after eating some lunch we hiked up the trail to Rodney Falls. Usually in the summer time the falls is just a trickle of water, but the springtime (although cold and wet) is the time to go. Even the overlook was filled with water creating its own waterfalls. The power that the waterfalls created was absolutely stunning.

Saturday I drove up to Ocean Shores, WA and met a friend at the beach for a clam festival. They advertised this huge clam chowder cook-off. When Phillip and I got to this tiny town there was 3 people entered in the cook-off and about 15 booths. So what we thought would take hours took about 30 minutes. =) You gotta love small towns! So after the wonderful time walking around the huge convention center we drove the few blocks onto the beach. And I literally mean ON the beach. Phillip has a 3 ton truck and we were able to drive 10 miles on the sand and barely leave tracks (except in one spot where the tires spun). It was kind of fun to go for a drive that close to the ocean. It was a really windy day and a little rainy, so we didn't want to get out, and the temperature was about 50 degrees. The waves were huge and it looked pretty dangerous. When we got a few miles down the beach there were guys surfing! The water couldn't have been much above 50 degrees. I guess that's exhilarating to some people, but that does not appeal to me.

Here are some pictures from my trip:

2007-12-12T12:21:00.000-06:00

I was saving this post for when I had pictures downloaded, but I didn't want to wait any longer.

Two Saturdays ago I ran the St. Jude half marathon. It was an amazing experience. Thousands of people got in their respective "corrals" at 7:45 am just like cattle going out the fence gate to gaze. I stayed in one of the last because I knew I hadn't trained very much and I wouldn't be fast at all.

Little by little we inched forward for our time to cross the starting line. As we ran, people lined the streets cheering for you. And as we passed St. Jude hospital the families and patients came out to the streets with signs and noise makers to cheer us on and to say thanks. My favorite sign was "You're all Kenyans to me!" There were a few times in the run that I thought I was going to cry...and then I had to shake it off because I can't run and cry at the same time. How would I breathe? =)

It was the perfect environment to do your first race because there were hundreds of people that are non-runners that walk the whole way, but they do it because they are raising money for a good cause. My time was better than I had planned for. I planned on 2 hours 45 minutes, but I made it in 2 hours 33 minutes and 49 seconds! Next year I hope to train much more than I had time to this year. What makes me laugh is that the first people done with the full marathon did it in 2 hours and about 15 minutes! Now that's fast.

I'll post pictures soon.

Kids amaze me!

2007-12-05T12:08:00.000-06:00

At Harding Academy we have chapel every Monday and then, on occasion, we have a small group chapel on Wednesday to follow-up on the topic and discuss what was talked about.

So, today we had a small group chapel to discuss the faith that Noah had. I was getting the answer they thought I wanted to hear, so I asked this group of nine 8th grade girls what they were planning on doing for someone else this Christmas and one girl said, "Buying presents." I replied, "Oh, for who?" And she said, for her family. I said, "I meant for someone other than your family...for someone less fortunate." And a few seconds went by when they just looked at each other.

I asked if they'd want to do something as a group and their faces lit up and ideas were streaming out of their mouths. Within 2 minutes we had planned to donate a dollar and take dinner to a woman from Kansas City whose 9-month old son has a brain tumor at St. Jude, and can't leave. Then, they want to make Christmas cards for kids at St. Jude. And lastly, they are going to donate a toy to give to a toy drive that one of the radio stations is hosting, then we're going to go deliver them one day next week. That's just what we narrowed down to.

This generation of kids is so willing to help with the problems of the world if we give them opportunities to help. The biggest reason that they don't get involved more is that they don't know how and where to get involved. My heart was lifted after that 15-minute session and I know that they'll remember this for future years and how easy it can be to help...that it doesn't have to be anything big. But, what they do and give IS big to someone who receives it.

Too Cute...

2007-11-28T07:25:00.000-06:00

My mom's aunt and cousin came to Memphis for Thanksgiving, but it was my brother's turn to go to his inlaws. They got back Sunday night and came over for dinner Monday night to see Aunt Jody and JoEtta before they went back to Washington. As we were sitting down to eat some good Memphis barbeque Caden (my 6-year-old nephew) went up to Aunt Jody and said, "Aunt Jody can you sit by me?" He was 3 the last time he saw her and it was only for a couple of hours. It was the sweetest thing ever.

Then, my niece, Carson (9 months old) was so sick. She had an ear infection and has had a cough for about a month. Well, her medicine was working when they first got there, so she was feeling alright. So, I held her and kissed her cheek and over by her ear. About 30 seconds later I told Courtney that her ear medicine works quickly because my lips were numb! It was so funny.

Thankfulness

2007-11-26T15:33:00.000-06:00

Complaining can come too easily in life. Complaining about our job, where we live, about something someone has done to us, and the hectic lifestyles we live. Then, I think about those that do not have a job, have had a limb amputated, cannot see, or cannot hear and I remember how blessed I truly am.

During homecoming week (which was the week of Halloween) the student government comes up with dress-up days. Going along with the Halloween/Fear theme, they had a "Face your Fear" day where you were to dress like the thing you are scared of. The only thing that ever came to mind was being blind. It may sound silly or that it was just something fun to do, but I (and many others) really thought about it. And it struck me how blessed I am. I can complain all day long, but in God's eyes I don't have anything to complain about. And sometimes it's hard to remember that we are to follow God's plans, not our's. Sometimes it is the same thing and other times it's in opposite directions.

If anyone hears what God's plan is for me let me know because I'm not hearing Him very well these days. =)

WE WON STATE!!!!!

2007-10-29T12:07:00.000-05:00

This past week was the state volleyball tournament in the Nashville area. It was such a fun atmosphere and I am so proud of the girls for overcoming injuries and sickness to win. This group of girls is the best I have ever coached. They all respect each other and would do anything for each other.

Wednesday morning was our first match. In the 2nd game, Courtney (our middle blocker) jumps to block and lands on Megan's foot, rolling her ankle. If you knew Courtney you would understand how scared we were. She is the type that will play through any injury (whether it's smart or not). Well, she was rolling around on the floor crying. As soon as the whistle blew, I ran on the court to see what was wrong, hoping it was not broken. I get her off the court and not more than 3 minutes later our other blocker, Amy, did the exact same thing. However, she walked off the court herself, so I was a little more hopeful for her to play that night in our next match.

We had about 6 hours between matches on Wednesday, so Courtney and Amy got some rest, iced, and stretched their sprained ankles. About an hour before the night match I had the girls do some light jogging and some side-to-side stuff and they were looking pretty timid. I made them give me eye contact and say that they would tell me if it was hurting too bad. Courtney's also the all star in basketball, so I didn't want her to serioulsy injure herself right before the season started. Of course, Amy said, "Yes ma'am I will" and Courtney gave me a smile and said, "If we're up by two games I'll tell you."

So, we won and Courtney had more kills Wednesday night than she normally gets. Because we were still undefeated (it was a double-elimination tournament) we got all of Thursday off. The seniors went and toured Lipscomb University and went shopping and then we met up for dinner at the Opry Mills Mall at The Aquarium restaraunt. As we were eating, Becky (one of our setters) says, "Coach, can you look at my knee?" It ended up to be okay, but all I could think was..."Is there anything else that could go wrong?"

That's not the smartest thing to think because there is always something else that can go wrong. Friday the team is in the lobby eating breakfast and Becky says, "Coach, Miriam (our other setter) woke up throwing up and doesn't look good."

Miriam and all the girls ended up playing. 3 girls made the All-State Tournament team. The amazing part of all of this was that none of the girls panicked. They had the mindset that one of their friends was hurt or sick and they needed to pull together and help each other out and that's what they did.

Has a tornado hit?

2007-09-25T12:04:00.000-05:00

Since school started my life has been whirlwind, so I apologize for the long break in blogging. I feel like I've been caught in the middle of a tornado with no control of where I go and what I do. Today is the last big wind and tomorrow I will start to see the storm die down.

My life has been nothing more than work and sleep for the last month and a half. I leave my house at 6:30 am and don't return until 9;00pm with tournaments on the weekends. Also, I have been planning a fundraiser for a missionary friend of mine from Honduras. I couldn't pull it off tonight without the help of my parents and my sister-in-law, that's for sure.

Is anyone going to ACU's homecoming? I am going, so I want to know who to look for.

Here's some pictures of our team at a tournament in Franklin, TN. As you can see we don't have any fun together. =)

Felix Update

2007-09-10T12:25:00.000-05:00

Thank you for your prayers. Everything seems to be fine. The problem now is all the standing water that is attracting mosquitoes. In Central America, they have something called Denge fever, which is spread like the West Nile Virus, but much worse.

My friends are all safe and there isn't very much damage in Tegucigalpa (the coast got hit the worst). My friend, Karen, that runs the children's home wrote on her blog (kdvaughan.blogspot.com) what one of her boys said. When he woke up the morning after Felix hit he said, "I prayed and prayed all night that God would keep us safe and He DID!" I just thought that was the sweetest thing I've heard in a while.

Hurricane Felix

2007-09-05T09:33:00.000-05:00

Please pray for the people in Honduras. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch destroyed so many homes and businesses, not due to the high winds, but due to the rainfall and mudslides. They have never fully recovered.

Honduras does not have anywhere for the water to go (like sewers), so it rushes down the mountainsides and through the city. Most of the people in Honduras live in homes that we would not use as a shed, which means they don't have a foundation and many homes have the ground as a floor. When the rains from Hurricane Felix come through those people's homes will be washed down the side of the mountain or will have a river rushing through their house.

The community I worshipped in when I lived there is called Mololoa and is one of the poorest communities in the city of Tegucigalpa. Hurricane Mitch wiped out many homes and killed many people in Mololoa and they are all very worried about what will happen with Felix.

Pray for their safety and the safety of the missionaries (the Kluges, Casa de Esperanza, and the Tindalls). And pray that there could be minimal damage.

One amazing summer...

2007-07-22T20:52:00.000-05:00

The last 2-3 months of my life have been absolutely crazy! First of all, the end of the school year was insane with students (mainly their parents) and coaching softball.

Here is the #1 Minnesota Vikings fan. =)

Literally the moment I checked out for the year I left to drive to Oklahoma City to watch the Women's College World Series. An entire week of watching softball. It doesn't get much better than that. I know how jealous all of you are. =) The Oklahoma City Memorial was absolutely the best-done memorial I've ever seen.

Joey and DJ at Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes

A few days after getting home my parents, my dog, and I drove 12 hours up to Detroit to visit my sister, Kendra, and her family. We drove another 4 hours to Traverse City, MI (right on Lake Michigan) and camped with them for 4 days. It was so fun. Kendra has 2 boys 7 and 4 years old. The 7-year-old is all about baseball (really sports in general) and the 4-year-old loves to dress up in costumes (Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean is his favorite) and he is hilarious. Joey kept coming up with all of these one-liners. For example, the boys were outside playing and he opens the doors and says, "Honey, I'm home." Another time at the dinner table he said to DJ, "Use your manners, dude." It was so great to get to spend quality time with them. Living so far away make it hard.

Then, a few days after returning from Michigan I left for Honduras. It was my first time to return since I moved back to the states. Relationships I had built in the year I was there were rekindled and renewed. (All except one, but that is a very long story.) In years past my passion has been with the construction crews, but this year I was able to do a wider variety of work. Every day the large group breaks up into 4-5 small groups that do different things.

1. As a group we handed out about 500 bags of food to individual families, which can feed a family of 6 for 2-3 weeks.

2. We built 5 houses and a playground for a school.

3. We planted 200 pine trees as a humanitarian project.

4. With money from the work fund we purchased enough food for an orphanage of 35 kids for 3 months. (I'll tell an interesting story about that later.)

5. We put in a cement floor in a church building a group last summer built. (Another tear-jerker story.)

6. We painted a church building, which ended up to be a huge warehouse.

7. We held a medical clinic, which was greatly under-equipped. So if any of you reading this has access to medical supplies and can donate some for next year we would love the help.

8. We visited the Blind school, the special needs orphanage, Didasko orphanage, Casa de Esperanza (the orphanage I helped build the year I loved there), and 2 hospitals.

9. We handed out 100 blankets at the orphanages listed above. These blankets were made by 7th and 8th graders at the school I teach at in Memphis.

10. We worked at a feeding kitchen that missionary friends of mine started last year.

11. We had a VBS in two cities.

Now for a few stories:

It is incredibly hard to explain how bad this road was. In the states it wouldn't have been considered a road and here we were driving buses miles off the main road. We are the only mission group to ever go to this particular town, so when we go there are hundreds of people that gather around to watch and help us work. The bus finally pulled up in front of the school where one small group was building the playground and the other small group had to walk another half-mile to the church because the buses couldn't get back there. One neighborhood man told us that about 40 men had stayed up all night to fix the road, so our buses could get close. Not only that, but these men continued to work by starting the cement work. It was 2/3 completed by the time we got there. When I heard that tears filled my eyes. Here we were coming to help them and attempt to make life easy on them, but they were trying to my life easy for us. What servant hearts! We were blessed to worship with them that Sunday.

I drove up to a place called San Marcos where we planted trees. It had to be the most beautiful place in all of Honduras. It is located in the mountains, so it was much cooler that down in the city. There was a spot we nicknamed Pride Rock because it looked like Pride Rock from the movie "The Lion King". When it was time to stop for a lunch break we climbed up Pride Rock and had the most increible view I've ever seen.

This is Casa de Esperanza which is run by two dear friends of mine, Karen and Jen. They now are mothers to 16 children and are teaching them about God. This children's home project was the reason I moved to Honduras. As soon as I heard the vision I had to be a part of it. And now, it's not just a barren piece of land, but now it is a home to children who have never had a home before.

God is so sneaky!

2007-05-21T19:43:00.000-05:00

It's funny how God gets what he wants no matter how hard you fight him. For quite some time I have been contemplating going on a summer trip to Honduras. There was an achy feeling that if I didn't go this summer it would be even harder in future years.

I really didn't think I was going to get to go, so I made a ministry of making 100 blankets for the summer trips to hand out. When I drove them over to Nashville (where the trip leader lives) he said that if I came up with the plane ticket the rest would be taken care of.

That was an amazing offer, but there were some things I've struggled with since I got back to the state. I didn't exactly leave on good terms with some missionaries that are down there full time and me, being the person I am, do not like confrontation. So I thought and I thought. I had come with many "better" things that I could do with my summer: work and save to buy a house, take some science classes, get my master's in education, or travel to see friends and family.

One night at Life Group, it came time for prayer requests. I mentioned that I would like prayers to decide what to do this summer. One of the men said, "If all you need is a plane ticket consider it taken care of." Everything had been taken care of and there was no reason that I could possibly say no. And so, he turned in his frequent flyer miles so that I could go to Honduras for 10 days in July!

That's the way God usually works in my life. I fight and I fight. And yet He always wins.=)

Top 6 Reason driving in Honduras is better than the states!

2007-04-28T19:39:00.000-05:00

Not in any particular order:

7. Lanes...what does that word mean? If the car in front of you is driving too slow on a two-lane road you pass when cars aren't coming from the other direction; even on a blind curve. It's amazing how a two-lane road can turn into a 4-lane so easily. And if you're on a motorcycle the sidewalk is just another lane.

6. Honking is expected. If someone is driving stupidly, you honk. If someone is driving too slow, you honk. Or if you see someone you know, you honk to say hi.

5. Speed limits exist, but are not enforced.

4. Roads signs are hard to come by, so if you accidentally drive the wrong way down the street people just shake their heads, but it's okay...no harm done.

3. When you are at a red light and there is no cross traffic you go ahead through the intersection.

2. During traffic, when the road is packed with cars, and you're trying to turn left (or right) turning your blinker on means nothing. However, sticking your arm out the window automatically gives you the right-of-way.

1. And if that doesn't work you inch your way out into the street until someone eventually stops and lets you go.

Quick Update

2007-03-18T19:16:00.000-05:00

The past month has gone by so fast it's hard to believe it's the middle of March already!

March 8-10, six 7th grade teachers and a few parent-chaperones took about 80 7th graders on their annual trip to St. Louis. I was dreading it, but it turned out to be a blast and I found a few moms that I got along with great. St. Louis is actually a fun city...especially this place called the City Museum. It's not a museum at all. It's an indoor and outdoor play area. 2 moms, a fellow teacher and I had more fun than most of the kids and I have the bruises to prove it.=) There are indoor caves to explore where you can find a 4-story slide, an interactive circus, and an outdoor play area with crawl spaces, slides and a ball pit. I highly recommend it!

Softball is about to go into full swing with games 3 days a week. Our first game is tomorrow...I am excited, yet nervous. Spring break is coming to a close in the next few hours, although it hasn't been much of a spring break for me.

I had the bright idea of building roofs over the dugouts on the softball field. I thought it'd take 3-4 days and I'd have a couple of days on my spring break to go see friends. Well, things didn't go as planned. It is now the Sunday before school and we still had some work to do. I partially dislocated a thumb and split open an index finger, and that was about all the injuries. I'd say that's pretty good for me.=)

I am going to need lots of patiences and extra energy this week because the weekend (and spring break) is almost over and I don't have any patience or engery at the beginning of the school week. Not a good thing for a middle school/junior high teacher.

Life is Crazy

2007-02-14T19:29:00.000-06:00

The days are going by so quickly it's hard to keep up with what day it is. This past Monday we had softball try-outs. Coming from one of the top softball programs, where the starting pitcher is now at UCLA and the back-up pitcher is at Yale, to a place where girls on varsity have never bunted before is somewhat frustrating.

I thought you might like another funny story compliments of one of my 7th graders...
The last chapter was on mammals, so we were learning about how mammals are different than other vertebrates. One of the questions was, "The __________ helps bring in air to the lungs." The correct answer is the diaphragm, but according to one of my boys our nipples help us to breathe. =) The part that scares me is that he is not a boy that would say this to be funny, that was a real answer.

Miss Wells, what's a ...?

2007-01-24T18:06:00.000-06:00

The past 3 weeks of work were quite interesting. (Those of you reading this that knew me in high school or college will get a kick out of this.)

As most of you know, I teach 7th grade science. Two weeks ago my class was learning about invertebrates and we did a squid dissection as a part of that unit. Well, kids were asking me what this part was by the top of the head. I told them very non-chalantly that it was the gonads. Then, the question I dreaded the entire unit came from almost every group, "What's a gonad?" So, I got to talk about the facts of life. Lucky me.

We got to the point of learning about amphibians, which means we did a frog dissection. To prepare for the dissection I had them color worksheets that showed the internal organs, so when it came time to dissect they would know where to find them. Here came another opportunity to teach the facts of life. "Miss Wells, what's a testis?" (I wish you could hear how they pronounced it- just like it's written.)

I replied, "Depending on whether you're a girl or boy, you'll have either 2 testis or 2 ovaries." You could see the light bulbs coming on over their heads. And then they'd get embarassed. It was so funny.

My plea to all of you parents; please teach your children the proper names of body parts and what they do. I'm teaching junior high kids what an esophagus and trachea are along with the above mentioned things.

Sometimes people think that only little kids say the darndest things, but 7th graders make me
laugh every day.

Christmas 2006

2007-01-13T21:04:00.000-06:00

I had the pleasure of having 3 different Christmases. The first one was on the 21st with my brother's family and my parents. It was a great night. Caden is always funny to be around.

The next morning my parents and I had our own little Christmas. The 23rd my parents and I went to Detroit to spend Christmas morning with my sister and her family. We spent 6 days of singing karaoke, playing countless games, and lots of food. DJ and Joey were so funny opening their presents. After every single present (no matter how little it was) DJ made Kendra take a picture. And if she didn't have her camera ready when he finished opening the package, he'd say, "Mom" with a roll of his eyes. And then smile big and say, "Cheese". Joey did the picture thing to an extent, but truly didn't care...it was just about copying his big brother. He would just get soooo excited that a quick, loud shriek would come out in a high-pitched, 4-year-old's voice. Then, on the really cool presents (like his batman underwear or his spiderman pajamas) he'd say, "Wow" in a loud whisper. Seriously, he made Kendra open and look at his batman underwear for at least 5 minutes.

When we got back home I was remembering what a special time Navidad is in Honduras and I was getting nostalgic. So I decided to create a ministry..."Abrigado con Amor" which literally means "Wrapped with Love". I am making blankets for the summer mission trips to hand out this summer in a community is so poor that even Hondurans don't go there and in the university hospital that those without insurance go to. It is an unbelievable place. I could try to describe it to you, but nothing can replace experiencing it in person.

Here is Karino with her Christmas present.

ABCDEFGHJKL...

2006-12-19T08:42:00.000-06:00

2 funny stories for you:

It's Christmas break for us, so I got to sleep in yesterday. I went Christmas shopping, played with my nephew, and then I went to my parents' house to wrap the presents. I stayed for dinner and then, as we often do, we played games.

We played Deal or No Deal and then Catch Phrase. I'm assuming most of you are familiar with the game (it's kind of like Taboo). Well, my mom was giving the clues and this particular clue was, "The first word is a letter that comes after H." I proceeded to say, "J". My dad starting cracking up and said, "yes, you are a teacher." The funniest part was that I was right...the first word of the answer was "J". We lost it at that point and couldn't finish that round. Like mother, like daughter, I guess. We think too much alike.

Later on, still playing Catch Phrase, my dog came to the table and started pestering my mom by licking her and playfully biting her toes. She said, " Do you want a T-R-E-A-T?" Karino went nuts barking and jumping. Then she ran into the laundry room where my parents keep a box of milkbones for her.

What does it mean when my dog spells better than me? =)

It's Been a Long Time

2006-12-13T18:27:00.000-06:00

The days have been going so fast I keep forgetting about this blog. A co-worker of mine (not naming names) scolded me for not updating it.=)

It's semester final exams here at Harding...it's about time for 2.5 weeks with no students! I love my 7th graders, but they can challenge my patience just a little bit.=)

Thanksgiving was fun. It was the first holiday that no one had to travel across the country to be together. Of course we had all the fixin's, but my family doesn't eat sweets. Just kidding; half the food we eat is desserts. The rest of Thanksgiving weekend was spent painting the nursery for my niece who will be born in February.

I have been thinking a lot about Honduras lately. Wondering if I left for the right reasons. If I am really where I am supposed to be. I keep looking at pictures of all I was a part of. I helped build 9 houses for people that didn't have one, a children's home where 6 kids now have a home with parents, I helped with countless VBS's, and the list goes on.

Now I spend my time trying to earn enough to pay the bills, gas, and food (without putting too much on the credit card). And my work is to teach kids what a vertebrate is. Sometimes I just want to say, "Who cares!" There are hundreds of children that don't even get to go to a Honduran school and now get a warm meal because of a food kitchen that got started last year. That's what is important.

I am not able to go back anytime soon due to finances (the plane tickets are around $750). So, I decided that I am going to make fleece blankets for the children in the 2 main communities I worked in. If you can come up with a fun name to call this ministry let me know.

P.S. If someone can explain to me how to put your blogs in my link section I'd appreciate it.

Time flies when you're having fun

2006-11-20T19:48:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe it is Thanksgiving-time already. Shouldn't it still be October?

My days have been going so quickly that days, or even weeks, go by before I get some things done. When my life is as busy as it is now, I am scared to know what it is like to have a family, a house, etc.

Seomthing funny happened this past week. Caden, my 5-year-old nephew, and Courtney, my sister-in-law, went to see the musical "Annie" with some friends. Just as the curtain was rising Annie walked out on stage. Everyone was quiet, and loud enough fo everyone around to hear Caden said, "Aw, she isn't going to sing is she?" Even writing it now makes me laugh.

A week in the life of Katie

2006-10-30T18:56:00.000-06:00

P.S. For those who were wondering how Karino reacted to the Mountain Dew, she was quite hyper for a little while. She eats anything but raw vegetables. Her favorite drink is sweet tea.=)

Two weekends ago I went to ACU's homecoming where I got to see some old friends that I haven't seen in years. It was so exciting. I had been craving that friendship for a long time.

Harding Academy volleyball went to the state tournament this week. We beat our rivals in the first match, which we already lost to 3 times this season, so it was a HUGE win. Here are my girls wearing the scarves I made them.

My sister and her family drove through Memphis this past weekend to go to Harding University's homecoming. It was Donnie's 10 year reunion. I didn't get to spend much time with them, but I got to have breakfast with them on Sunday. I gave the boys, DJ and Joey, a stuffed snake and frog for their birthdays.

Life Needs Laughter

2006-10-22T17:34:00.000-05:00

Life can be very funny. Today, I came home from church and on the floor there were pieces of a Mountain Dew wrapper and the bottle all chewed up. The yellow cap had been taken off (don't ask how a dog takes off a bottle cap) and chewed flat on the other side of the room. Now I remember there being about a quarter of the Mountain Dew inside the bottle when I left it on my coffee table last night. However, there was not a spot of liquid on my carpet anywhere.

I proceeded to ask Karino (my dog), "Did you drink the Mountain Dew?" And without skipping a beat, she burped. It was such perfect timing. The anger and frustration dissipated and I just had to laugh.

Yesterday was my nephew, Caden's, 5th birthday. He had a soccer game to start the day. Caden was so excited. I said hello when I got there and he said, "Don't call me Caden. Call me the Birthday Boy." So for the entire day yesterday he was known as the birthday boy. =)

Later that day he had a party at a place called Pump It Up, which is an awesome place where boys can jump non-stop for hours. Of course, I couldn't just watch all the kids having fun and not join in myself, so I got in the bouncing thing and played too.

I have come to the realization that the reason to have kids is so that you can watch cartoons and be able to play on the playgrounds without looking like an idiot.

Then, last night my parents, my brother's family and I went to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner. We ate and then played games. Somehow we had 51 tokens to get rid of. Caden (all of us, really) were so tired that we each took 10 tokens and played games. As we neared the end of the tokens Caden started crying because his tummy hurt from all the jumping, candy, cake, and pizza. So, we left and went back to their house to open gifts. And in the middle of opening gifts Caden let out the loudest and longest toot I had ever heard come out of him. He laughed and I asked if he felt better. He said, "Yep" with a big smile on his face.

Life would be so boring without kids. Being a teacher and a coach I get to be around kids every day and it's times like yesterday that I am so glad I don't work in an office somewhere and that I am involved in my nephew's life. If it wasn't for them there wouldn't be much to smile or laugh about.

Life's Turns - Chapter One

2006-10-20T19:46:00.000-05:00

Life's road can have interesting turns, sometimes big potholes shake us up, and sometimes it can be smooth. But many times it is interesting listening to others tell their stories. Many of you reading this were at last week's ACU homecoming. I got so excited (and nervous) before that weekend that I found myself watching old Sing Song videos to see if I could remember faces and names. (I don't remember much of memory junior/senior year.)

My life in the past few years since college has had its ups and downs, just like everybody else's. When I first graduated I moved to Ridgefield, Washington to live with my grandma. Shortly afterward she found out she had breast cancer and battled with it for 2 years. During that time I substitute taught and coached softball. I spent my summers traveling to Honduras on short-term mission trips with TORCH Missions.

She died in June 2005. Two weeks after I returned from my mission trip I had moved there!!! I spent Monday through Friday teaching and coaching and then my weekends and any free time were spent doing mission work. (Since this is only being read by friends I can be completely honest.) I got burn-out very quickly, a year. For a year all of my free time went to other people and myself got pushed aside. (One good thing that came from that was I dropped 20 pounds and weighed less than I did in high school.)

I went to church in a VERY poor community (a community even Hondurans looked down upon). When we would show up for church, not 5 minutes would pass before I was asked to take someone to the dentist, to the doctor, or for my shoes. And with my limited attention span I can only think of one or two times when I actually felt like I was worshipping.

Now...I am in the Memphis, Tennessee area, know very few people, and do not have the urge whatsoever to go to church. Church is the one place christians meet other christians. I'm not the type that goes to single's bars or to go to random chat rooms (actually, I have never been to a chat room). I still read the Bible at night and still talk with Him, but the thought of going to church irritates me and rubs me the wrong way. I pray that feeling goes away soon.

The previous paragraphs make it sound like I didn't enjoy my time there. I truly love the Honduran people I worked around and worked with. It was an experience I wouldn't change for the world. I wish I had saved my blog site, so that you could read of my wild and exciting stories.

One good thing came out of my time there that I will cherish for years. She's my baby that I bought at "puppy corner." There is an intersection that has two families that have a bunch of puppies that they hold up by their little legs. One day I saw a sweet little, husky-looking puppy. A week passed while I debated to buy it and I finally went back and bought her. As soon as I held her I knew she was the one I wanted and she knew I was her new mom.=) She never likes to be out of my sight. Even as I type she is laying down beside me with her head on my lap and her paw on the computer. (The top picture was just after I bought her and the next was 4-5 months ago. She is about 15 pounds heavier now.)

These days I am teaching and coaching at Harding Academy in Memphis. I love my little 7th graders. They are little kids just trying and forcing their way into adulthood.

I am also the assistant volleyball coach. We struggled some through the regular season, but came through during the regional tournament and got 3rd place which allows us to go to the state tournament this coming week. So please pray for us that these girls will play their hearts out and enjoy themselves.