A Beautiful Beginning 💕

💕 Felicidades! That's how to say it in Spanish.  Congratulations Greicy and Nahun - newly married February 26! We are just so excited for this couple and want to share this good news. 

We have cheered on Greicy since she was in grade 6. Greicy met Nahun two years ago. She caught his eye as she walked past his place on her way home from her nursing classes. Nahun worked with Greicy’s mom’s husband. In his quiet way,  Nahun asked questions about Greicy - a few questions at a time - until he felt confident that he could talk to her. Greicy took it from there. 

Greicy and Nahun have lived together for almost two years. Both knew that God wanted to bless their lives together and they needed to be married. But, with work and school commitments, and Honduran bureaucracy, this seemed an  impossible dream. Thanks to some special donations, and a period without work for both, the impossible became possible.

Getting married for many people in Roatan, Honduras is a challenge. Many official documents still are not shared from one municipality to another via the internet so frequently people need to travel in person to get their personal documents. Payments for documents must be made in person. For people wanting to be married in Roatan but born outside of the municipality of Roatan, documents pose a problem.  

Personal documents, on official paper with stamp, stamp, stamp are valid for three months. One can not pick up his or her documents while on a trip to the mainland to use someday. Many municipalities will not allow relatives to apply for documents on behalf of a family member. Both Greicy and Nahun were required to apply for documents personally.

In early December, Greicy's final hospital social service work time finished. At that time, she inquired what would be required for their marriage. The list she received from the Roatan municipality was long. Most challenging and expensive was traveling to the municipalities where they each had been born to get their personal documents. This official document would state that each was who he or she claimed to be and that neither was already married. 

Greicy and Nahun decided to travel as a couple. This provided safety for Greicy as she traveled to her municipality, and also was an opportunity for Greicy to meet Nahun's parents in his town. 

In the February update, I gave examples of the effort required on this Mainland trip. Following a ferry ride to the mainland they needed to travel 6 hours on the bus to Greicy's birth municipality. The document was in her hands in a short time, but to pay the $10 fee for this document, the next day Greicy had to take a bus another hour and a half to a town with a bank. Payments can not be received by municipal employees, I guess. 

They returned the 6 hour bus ride and then added another 2 hours to get to Nahun’s town. Nahun's documents required much more time. Because the municipality where Nahun had been born did not have the official document paper in stock, they had to order it. Following a two-week stay in Nahun's father's two-room house, the document was ready and they could return to Roatan. 

Two stops - two municipalities - two personal documents. Check.✔

The money requirements were beyond what a family that lives day-to-day would have available. They are thankful for special support. Each step of the way required payment. At one point a document needed to be paid for twice - once on the mainland, and then again when it was received in Roatan. 

The effort was definitely worth it.  The personal documents, medical tests, police checks, payments of personal taxes and more were completed and documents and receipts were presented to the registrar at the Roatan municipality in late January. Greicy and Nahun received their official appointment - February 26, 10:00 a.m. Stamp, stamp, stamp!  

The worries and effort were replaced with joy! Greicy and Nahun were married as required by Honduran law in the Municipal building. 

Last official document - Certificate of Marriage.

For us - we are disappointed to have missed witnessing this event. But, we are so pleased Greicy and Nahun have made their lives together a priority and have committed to each other. We have enjoyed watching this love story unfold and come to this point. Their marriage is a beautiful beginning.  

A few family members and friends celebrated at Cruz' house
following the marriage at the Municipal. 

What will this beginning bring? Well, Monday morning Greicy will head out again, to try to find a nursing job. I have urged her to check back at the various clinics where she has left her resume. “Things change. Openings come. Show your face again. Somewhere is the job for you,” I encourage her. Nahun hopes for more than the single day jobs he finds. A new beginning might be a new house instead of the one room house they have now on the side of Greicy's mom’s tiny property. New jobs? A new house? A beautiful beginning. 

Felicidades, Greicy and Nahun! We'll continue to cheer you on as you enter your new life. The Lord bless you and keep you - Jehová te bendiga, y te guarde. 💕

Greicy and Nahun - February 26, 2021.

🍎 Longdistance Back-to-School

It is February. Normally, this is the time when we would be in Roatan checking out the final purchases, and arranging for buses, backpacks, and uniforms so that some of the kids we know get back to school successfully. Normally, by mid-February, the students have had a few days in their classrooms as they meet their teachers and classmates. In a normal year, our little classroom would be buzzing with kids excited to share about the homework they have and the materials they don't have. 

As has been the case for the past 11 months, nothing is normal. Back-to-school has happened - quite successfully - without us being there. We have kept cyberspace a-buzzing with various connections. It is really amazing to be there, without being there.  

Students have been enrolled and tuition paid. That was so smooth it makes us wonder why we ever worry.  We support students in 4 private schools as well as checking in on the needs for a few public school students. 

Not only have we been connected to our students and their families via internet, students are, for the most part now taking their lessons via zoom and phone apps. This means that instead of needing uniforms and backpacks, the kids need phones or computers, as well as data and wifi so they can connect. Happily, most had access to devices.

We are content with this for the students we support. In the Moya household, three kids are connected, sometimes all at the same time. Teachers send assignments to be completed offline so a full 6 hour day is not all online. These parents are motivated to help their kids succeed and also to pleasing us. When I asked Suyapa to send pictures of her kids on their first day, she encouraged them to dress in their uniforms from last year. The two older kids have grown so much that the skirt and the pants zippers didn't zip! 

Meri, Antony and Carlos Moya

The Midences live at Son Rise. This family is very tech savvy. For them, learning online is natural. But we, as well as the family, are disappointed that the girls are not interacting with other kids, and their teachers, having natural opportunities to practice English in conversation at their bilingual school. 

Alison Midence

Jessie and Josian are university students. We are disappointed that they too have no opportunities to interact with other students and make face-to-face connections with the people teaching their courses. They, on the other hand, prefer online classes because they had found it challenging getting out of work and to their evening classes on time. I guess there are always pros and cons. 

Josian and Jessie - homework time

The situation for back-to-school for public students has not been as smooth. The start-up date has been changed several times as the schools receive new instructions almost daily. Learning “en la casa” is the way it is to be for kids in Honduras, at least for the first few months as decreed by the minister of education on the mainland. (There are few cases of Covid on the island, but the mainland is still suffering. The blanket decision affects all.)

It is really, really difficult to describe how hard in-home learning is for many people we know. Parents are not working so are free to help. Yippee! Except, many parents may only have finished grade 6 (or less) themselves. For the general population, many families can’t afford food, so a phone and data for connecting with school lessons make online school impossible.

Unlike the private school teachers who are occupied with the business of teaching their students already, teachers in the public schools have been busy distributing materials - sometimes right to the homes! - with hopes of being ready for the (tentative?) start-up the first of March. The teacher is responsible to get packets of assignments to each of her students. I have seen the packets. They are produced by the ministry of education for the students of the country. They are really pretty good. They are visually attractive, and have good, grade appropriate exercises. What is missing is the lesson - you know - the teacher input part. 

Arezzi showed me Vashny's grade 4 packet that is for the first 15 days of March. Vashny has it completed. 

One mom I know said to me that her children will not be participating in school this year because “ It is not easy to be a teacher at home, at least I did not get the gift of teacher 😥😉” I have been pestering her so much that I think she will meet with the teachers to get the that first set of packets so that I stop asking her. 

One of the missionaries at Son Rise summed up education in Honduras. He said “ We have wifi, but other families do not, if this situation continues for 2 more years we will have kids with very poor education here in Honduras.”  We think it will be less than two years.

Lately, we have had to take a hard look at the expense of providing for students to attend private schools. We had always hoped that given time, the parents would take on more responsibility. This money could feed many families. However, for a second year, public school students are receiving a very mediocre opportunity to receive education.

And so we continue enrolling students in schools requiring tuition - is this the tenth year? - hoping that what is provided makes a difference.  Five of the seven students that we have seen graduate from high school have work right now, (not flashy jobs, but work) in a time when work is hard to find. One has completed the requirements to become a nurse and has a job to begin mid- March (we hope). Two of the graduates are working while taking university (college) courses.  

So we continue, even when we aren't able to support by being there. We think we are making a difference - a long distance difference. 

Keliany, in uniform, sisters Kiara and Audrey,
Alison.