When I was first looking into serving with Farm of the Child I fell in love with the blogs that missionaries wrote. It made the mission come alive for me and helped me to better visualize the work that I would be doing in Honduras. I'm not the best writer and I know these blogs won't be eloquently written, but my reason for writing them is two-fold. First, I want to be able to bring family and friends who are supporting me on mission through prayer and financial contributions on the journey with me. I want to let you know what I'm up to especially when I can't see you in person or talk on the phone. My second reason for writing this blog is for the future missionaries. I hope they will read these posts in order to learn more about Farm of the Child and fall in love with the mission like I did.
The first thing I needed when I started this blog was coming up with a name. It proved to be easier said than done. Here is a list of different ideas that were considered.
Emma's Dilemma. This is the first idea that I thought of. It sounds catching and my mom wrote a beloved article with this title (It talked about how I failed to get off the school bus in kindergarten...multiple times). Though the name sounds fun, it doesn't really fit with what I will be doing. Hopefully these posts aren’t filled with all the problems and dilemmas I have. Thus, this title got scratched.
At this point I consulted my dad for help. He's a man who always has ideas (even when you don't want them). His first suggestion was Emma's Mondays and told me I could post every Monday. This is when I reminded him that I was moving to a third world country where I wouldn't have reliable wifi. Plus, I don't plan on writing weekly. Without missing a beat his next suggestion was Occasionally Emma, since I would only be writing occasionally. To me that sounds like sometimes I'm Emma and sometimes I'm someone else. Thus, another dilemma.
A man of many ideas, my dad's next thought was to include the nickname for Honduras, Hondo. Thinking out loud he remembered that there was a John Wayne movie titled Hondo. Of course at this point we must watch the 3-minute trailer for this 1953 movie. It was a sure way for me to turn down the name and resort back to coming up with a name by myself.
My next idea was to come up with a name using alliteration. The blog was officially titled Sunshine and Smiles for a few days. It seemed fitting since Honduras is a warm, sunny country and the Finca is located right on the coast. And of course, there will be lots of smiles and laughter. When discussing this name with my brother he told me it sounded like a name of a daycare. At this point, the name took on less appeal.
I was ready to settle on a name and during a conversation with a close friend I told her all about the long-term mission trip I would embark on soon. I found myself using the phrase, "I'll adjust" over and over. I'll adjust to the heat. I'll adjust to speaking Spanish. I'll adjust to living simply. I'll adjust. And for a split second, half-way joking I thought, "I'll adjust. That could be the name of the blog". Don't worry, the name was quickly dismissed.
Finally, I did what I should have done from the beginning. I asked my mom, the writer in the family, if she had any ideas for a title. Looking at the list of previous ideas, she suggested Emma's Words. Simple and to the point. I liked it and it didn't include any John Wayne influences. And so the blog is named Emma's Words.
Then I went on a backpacking trip with my mom and was tossing and turning in my sleep (it definitely had nothing to do with being terrified that a bear was roaming around close by). During the hours I laid awake in a small tent I thought of the title: Stepping Into Honduras. I’m taking a step/leap/jump into a new phase of life. This adventure is forcing me out of my comfort zone. I’m learning a new language so I can serve children in Honduras. I asked God what the next step in my life is and this is where He’s lead me; so I’m stepping into Honduras.