momentos de alegria: February 2013

Monday, February 11, 2013

a sunrise

i hope to never think about 6 am the same again. since Ilona is often up in the wee hours of the morning to feed, God put it on my heart to want to watch a sunrise with her while staying at Maya Vista hotel in Tela this past weekend. the plan was simple, if she was up anytime between 5-6 am, i would walk the several flights of stairs up from our room to the "mirador" viewing rooftop deck of the hotel. like clockwork, she was up at 5:45, so i tiredly shuffled up the stairs just in time for one of the most beautiful sunrises i have seen, and what turned out to be a very intimate moment with my daughter, of which the memory i'll treasure the rest of my life.

we quietly sat, she eating and i taking in the sights and sounds of a typical sunday morning in honduras. imagine stray dogs skipping down the otherwise quiet streets. roosters beginning to wake up their masters (and everyone else for that matter). a cool breeze off the bay. waves crashing on the shores. a light mist settling on the peaks of the tropical mountains lining the southern wall of the region. and the soft glow of the sun beginning it's trek above the eastern peaks in the distance. the sky turned warm shades of reds, pinks, and purples as i anticipated the arrival of the day. i fixed my gaze on the mountain peak where the brightest of lights was beginning to crown, when i heard (far away, don't worry!) another familiar sound in honduras. a few short and fast gun shots. my attention was immediately torn from the miracle God made in the daily sun rise about to reveal itself as i turned away in search for the source of the disturbance. i knew i wasn't in danger 10+ stories about street level, yet i still wanted to find out where the shots came from. fortunately my curiosity wasn't so strong that i missed what Ilona and i had woken up for and climbed those stairs to find, our first sunrise together. i turned just in time to see the beauty of the light that took over the sky. a brightness that invited all of tela to awaken for the day. an ever-constant reminder that God's mercies are new every morning. a sunrise.

isn't that just like life? as christians we are commanded to fix our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith. the beginning and the end. the prince of peace. the light of the world. jesus, the son of God. a simple sounding command, but one so quickly forgotten. i am distracted. that morning by a gun shot, but most days by things even less demanding. unread emails, a sink overflowing with dishes, facebook, my own worries. and even the "good things" i know God would find pleasing to Him, if only i would fix my eyes and my heart on Him alone. all i need to do is keep looking at the Son. keep my eyes fixed on the light of this world and all else will fall into its rightful place. the Son is where i'll find peace in times of trouble, wisdom in times of uncertainty and the grace i need for each passing day.

today's devotional from Jesus Calling expresses what i felt in my heart sunday morning as i was overwhelmed by the truth of God's promises and love for me and Ilona.

"My Peace is like a shaft of golden Light shining on you continuously. During days of bright sunshine, it may blend in with your surroundings. On darker days, My Peace stands out in sharp contrast to your circumstances. See times of darkness as opportunities for My Light to shine in transcendent splendor. I am training you to practice Peace that overpowers darkness. Collaborate with Me in this training. Do not grow weary and lose heart."

"In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." -John 1:4-5

"Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." -Hebrews 12:3

just keeping looking at the sun...

viaje a tela

this past weekend we took a huge step and traveled with Ilona for the first time. jason's friend eric is in town visiting and working at a local hospital, so we wanted to show him a nicer view than the cement wall out his bedroom window ;) tela is one of the northern coastal towns and very popular for sampedranos and our teacher friends. the city is small and safe, right on the bay with picturesque views of the lush, tropical mountain ranges to the east, south and west, and the crystal clear tela bay fed by the beautiful caribbean sea.

we started our trip at Lancetilla Botanical Gardens, just outside of Tela off the main highway between San Pedro and La Ceiba. It is the second largest tropical botanical garden in the world! We didn't think it through in terms of the best season to visit, and realized part way through the tour that our experience would be much different during the "summer" months. It was still an incredible experience, but after a few explanations from our tour guide Eduardo that went something like this, "IF you were here in September then you would be able to sample the fruit from this tree", or "IF it were September you'd be able to smell the sweet scent of the flowering ornamental tree from Brazil". Get my point? Winter is much different here than in Chicago and there was still a lot of beautiful green to look at, but the trees were lacking both their fruit and their flowers. Still a good experience and we're proud to say we're the first foreign hires (that we know of) who've taken the trek out there.

next, we headed to a highly regarded hotel, maya vista, at the top of a hill in downtown tela. it certainly lived up to all the recommendations. it's a tower designed hotel, with only 9 rooms that spiral up the building, one room per floor. the hotel offers an incredible bay view and access to a private balcony. there is also a restaurant that serves delicious food and a tranquil setting. we stayed in their apartment/suite, with more than enough room for the four of us. we'll definitely stay again and would recommend it if you're in the area!

sunday morning we headed to honduran shores plantation for a relaxing day at the beach. it's a very nice resort (a little out of our price range), but it's the perfect choice for a day trip. they have a pool, well-maintained private beach, covered picnic table areas called "champas" and a delicious menu! jason and i have only ordered one item each from their extensive menu each time we've visited since we love the conch soup (J) and chicken fajitas (S) so much! it felt good to be able to travel independently and with our car so that we could come and go as we please. jason drove both ways of the 1.5 trip along winding roads covered in potholes the size of truck tire and amidst what can only be described as race car-like driving conditions. he rocked! ilona did a wonderful job sleeping in the car and playing in the water. i'm more and more convinced we have a sun-tan loving, beach babe, swimmer on our hands. i couldn't be prouder ;)