Uncle Cookie

Buenas Dias!

We are all here and have been challenged muchos since arrival! We´ve cut an entire swath through 3 acres of new property for the orphanage. We´ve absolutely perfected our espanol! :) We´ve fallen in love with about 20 little ninos that smile, cry, poop, and call our names when we come into the room! Jonathan wanted to share the gifts he´s been blessed with, so he made chocolate chip cookies for everyone in the orphanage. Five batches, actually! He is now known as Tio Galleta, or Uncle Cookie! Needless to say, the kiddos have a new favorite tio.

We really enojoyed our anniversary yesterday. Due to a few dramatic events, the entire staff was ¨let go¨from the orphanage, and the four of us were left to manage the kids´entire schedule by ourselves. That meant one on cleaning hands, one on changing diapers, one on meals, and one on entertainement. We did sneak away for some one on one time... boogie boarding!

Also, I was able to share the seeds with Papa Jones and the cook. We dug a compost pit, because there is no good area at their current property for a jardin. The idea is to use all of their kitchen scraps and to plant on top of the compost pit when it´s been filled and covered with topsoil.

Today we are on our way to go rafting! Our guide book says that the Rio Carnejal is one of the best in the world, so here we go! We´re going to take a taxi to Pico Bonito, a National Park and then take a 1/2 day on the river, stay the night, and then do some major hiking tomorrow. We then plan to go back to the orphanage for a final night, and to say goodbye to the kiddos. Then we have a special anniversary gift from the rents - a night´s stay at the Quinta Real, a beauitful resort right on the ocean. Saturday afternoon we hope to board a boat for Utilla, one of the three major islands off the coast.

God has blessed us so much! Thank you for your prayers and love! We miss you mom and dad!

Peed on!

Hello friends! Jonathan, Nick, Autumn, and I all arrived safely and met in San Pedro Sula after 4 days of traveling, lines, Christmas, and delays. Sadly, Mom and Dad were not able to reschedule their flights although they spent countless hours on the phone trying! We miss them terribly, but are thankful to know that God has a plan in all of it.

After finally arriving here we had to wait in line for over an hour to get through customs. I cried when I saw Nick waving from the other side of immigaration! We were escorted to the orphanage Casa Cielo and now live in an open air bunkhouse about 100 yards from the carribean! Wow. Everything is in bloom and it´s the end of the rainy season.

We met the 14 kids at the orphanage this morning and were instantly holding as many as our arms and hips would allow. So many with adorable faces and haunting pasts. Papa and Mama Jones are fantastic hosts, and we are eager to see what God has in store for us to help with and also to learn.

This morning the 4 of us joined Papa and Mama in a local Garifuna village for a Christmas outreach for the poor children of the community. They shared a flannel graph! Ha! The kids had to stay and listen to the story and allow us to love on them, then they got cake and juice and a Christmas present. I met a gorgeous little girl with her hair all beaded up. We really bonded, especially when she peed on my lap. :)

Right now we´re at a mall and Papa says, ¨a mall is a mall is a mall is a mall...¨. He´s right. Much love and Merry Merry Christmas!

Flight Cancelled! :(

Hi all family and friends.

It is sad but true. Today we went to the airport and spent 3 hours waiting and trying to figure out what to do. Because of the storms in Seattle our plane never made it to Boise to take us to LA. Our LA flight was canceled and therefor we weren't able to make the other legs of our trip. After an exceptionally nice woman at the counter helped us for one and a half hours, Jonathan and I were able to get booked on a flight leaving Christmas Eve and arriving in Honduras on Christmas day. Nick and Autumn miraculously made it out of Portland and will arrive in Honduras on Christmas Eve. As of now, the rents were not able to re-book their flight and will most likely have to cancel. We can't explain how saddened we are by this. We're still hopeful that something will happen, and still trusting in God for his timing. Dad says there's nothing better than a white Christmas, and is trying to make the best of things...

Much love - still from Boise,
Courtney and Jonathan