To Finish Strong by Stephanie

Beautiful Utila.
I have but one last week here and I can´t lie and say that I regret the short amount left. I desire with a blazing passion my home. Yes, home, a place I can walk around I not have my feet dirty and my body covered in sweat. I´ll have my own room and my new laptop and all the other things I´ve always looked at as a normal part of life; now, they are all together beautiful luxuries I can´t wait to have again!
As I hopped down the aisle of the church here in a large white potato sack I did feel saddness because the people here I have laughed with, sang with, learned with, worked with...it´s different saying good-bye and wanting to come back for the people I´ve met here not necesarily the conditions here. I have loved my time and I realized that as I spole with one of the girls my age and exchanged email addresses.
Yesterday and the day before my family and I along with Doris and her daughter Diana have walked the back streets of Utila; streets of which I had never paid any mind to unitl now. They were packed with tiny houses with whole families living in them; but these houses were above the swamp and litered with trash. We spoke with our broken Spanish, read our Bibles and prayed with these women and children. I know that God brought us here not really just to learn spanish, become divers, and throw a little mission in the mix no, He brought us here to wake the little Sapnish-speaking Baptist church up. He sent us to set their spirits back on fire for missions and help them see different approaches. Squeezing everything we want to do into this last week is difficult and I wondered why God hadn´t opened the doors before we were in such a hurry to leave; but I do know everything has it´s own time and the important thought to remember is God is getting what He needs to happen done. The picture is far greater than a little family from Texas choosing to spend a summer in the cheapest place to learn Spanish that they could find; the significance of location and any other `minor´detail can never be taken just at face value.
Last Thursady was our first class for Sign Language! We were thrilled to have Tatiana and Leon arrive at our home just as excited and ready to learn! Between mouthfuls of popcorn and cups of lemonade we went through over a hundred signs together in two hours; repeating and practicing as we went. I loved watching Tatiana practicing the sign for church: ¨C on top of a firm foundation, yes, that´s church.¨After the class Leon asked to barrow the book we had let him use as a hardsurface to write on; the book is my favorite book of all times, I´ve already read it once since it´s been here with us, I was so happy he asked to read it! The book? Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation. I´m praying and wondering how God is using us in Leon´s life? How big of a picture are we in? I´m just grateful to be involved in the work of the Lord and knowing my family and I don´t have to fear or worry we just need to keep walking and keep taking that next step and HE knows where it´ll lead.
Mr. Eric Anderson from our chuch gave a message four years ago that I could never forget. Finish Strong. It was off the ´Live Strong´bracelets by Lance Armstrong; to be remembered as ¨living strong¨ the beginning isn´t the main factor it´s where one ends, one must finish strong.
At the closing of this three month adventure I want to look at this coming week as a time to ´finish strong.´ We have two more sign language classes and several dives coming up. Andrea´s 12th birthday is Tuesday! And the owner of the theater just came back so we trying to find a night we have open to show the Jesus film. Pray for that, it´s not been the right timing before and we´re running out of time.
The interent is pretty obviously not going to be up before we leave; we feel bad for the Weber´s becasue the apartments they are staying in have shut off the water several times and now the showers won´t work...they´re having a hard time but it doesn´t slow us down from enjoying our days!
Iguana tastes interesting. Kinda like chicken with a twist of fishiness, with a lot of little bones. We have still refused everytime the guys ask us to hop on the back of their dirtbikes. And, we´ve decided not to jump off the bridge to go swimming with our landlords 22yr old son. Mr. Ice cream conos still hasn´t refilled his supply of orange ice cream. And the sandflies have biten my legs off; I´ll be coming home without them.
Once again I say I love y´all and thank y´all for making this trip all the better with your constant notes and encouragement. Y´all have shared in this experience and I´m glad to have had y´all along for the ride!
Stephanie
-the natural islander who is ready to be the even more natural Texan in Air Conditioning!