I'm currently on an airplane flying over the Altantic ocean heading back to Honduras for round 2. After 10 months of living at serving at the Finca, I got to go home for a month to visit family and friends and take a break. And boy, what a month it's been! Every day was another adventure. The month was filled with activities from camping and exploring caves to backpacking along Lake Superior and being in a friend's wedding to seeing another friend engaged. Old habits resurfaced like playing endless rounds of pinochle and continuing the tradition of playing Catan on Sundays. Good food was enjoyed from eating hotdishes and bars to having fresh raspberries, zucchini, peas, beans, and tomatoes from the garden. I took in a parade, a parish festival, and of course the county fair. The Midwest was fully embraced from seeing long rows of corn fields to enjoying lake days and reuniting with extended family. It's been a wonderful month and I'm so thankful for the time I got.
Now I'm headed back to the land of 90 degrees where I'll see just how rusty my Spanish is. I'm sure the mosquitoes will be ready to greet me and I will be ready with my swatting hand. So many people that I visited with asked "what do you miss the most". Well, being on the plane and knowing that I'll be back in my little corner of Honduras within 24 hours, I can say I'm most excited to see the people. They are what make up the mission. I'm excited to see my fellow missionaries and get back into the flow of community life. I'm pumped to see the kids, especially the ones that I tutor daily and see how they've grown. I'm excited to see the women from Mohaguay who are in woman's group and catch up on life. And of course I'm thrilled to be back teaching my little Kinders and hope to do as much in person as possible.
The Lord blessed my time at home. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to spend time with my family. Going to mass in English was wonderful and the little things like having the Mass readings in front of you and knowing the songs made me appreciate it even more. It will be a challenge going back to Honduras (I will miss Mom's cooking, but I'm looking forward to mangos and plantains) but I know that it's where I'm meant to be right now. I'm looking forward to more beach days with the kids, adventurous cooking sessions over a fire, and being able to teach again. Plus not freezing anytime a fan or air conditioning is on will be a bonus.
There's so many thank yous to be said to the many, many people who made this month so special.
To my parish community: thank you for such a warm welcome home.
To my extended family who I got so see: it was great catching up and I'm so glad I got to see so many of you.
To those I didn't get a chance to see: Time flies in a month and I'm sorry if our contact was minimal or nonexistent. It's unknown of when I go home next but we'll try again next time.
To my family: you guys are my biggest fans and supporters. I loved living with you all for 30 days! Thanks for taking time out of your schedules to make memories together.
Much love,
Emma