to love, love, love and love some more.

these beautiful words come from elizabethann... reporting back to me from beautiful honduras. 

One could argue that, "to whom much is given, much is required," meaning that those of us who are blessed with much are expected to cultivate a deeper, more sophisticated understanding of our faith. i can only speak for myself, but as many books as i'll ever read, and as many church-related things as i'll do, i can only pray that my faith might grow into a fraction of the faith of a women who depend on God's provision to fix her tin roof or to feed her family. these past three weeks have shown me that the "much" of which we are expected is not to reach a certain level of spiritual elitism, but to be available for Gods use as the provision so many are praying for, in whatever capacity we can, and to love, love, love and love some more. that's what Jesus did.

Q: so what exactly have you been doing in the day to day?
A: the day-to-day of the first half of my trip went towards work on a new bag design that uses what seems like an endless supply of off-white canvas someone donated. we spent a lot of time working with a screen printer here in Honduras who helped us print our own original design on the canvas. when the printing was done, we spent the following few days getting the bag into production. now that the bag is officially adopted into ME's product line, i'm spending my time creating a few patterns for fall that the girls can start on when the summer rush (this is our busiest time) ends. that all being said, the most important part of my day-to-day is the time i spend talking and laughing with the women.

Q: have you seen progress at mi esperanza? how so?
A: Mi Esperanza has progressed so much! the first time i came, everyone was really excited about the opening of our new store (before that, Lori and Janet were selling things out of suitcases). this trip, there's been all kinds of excitement about our NEW, bigger store location because we'd completely outgrown the first. by the end of the summer, Mi Esperanza is hope to move the beauty school into a newly acquired space on-site with the maquila (sewing workroom where all the products are made) and the store. ME also started an additional sewing class about 6 months ago in a town outside of tegucigalpa {the capital city}, called santa ana.

Q: how was it having your mom there?
A: having my mom here was an experience I'll hold as a sweet memory in my heart for all time. family is everything to the Hispanic culture, so meeting my mom really furthered the bond i have with the women. they enveloped her with hugs the moment she walked in! i spent a lot of the week in disbelief of the fact that she was actually here. of course, she's already planning to come back.

Q: do you have new dreams, hopes, and plans for the women in honduras?
A: absolutely. probably too many to say. the one that's been most prominent in my heart and mind this trip is this: the women i work with (the ones who graduated from ME sewing classes and became employed by ME) have made enormous strides physically, simply because ME provides them with health care. however, there is a tendency among impoverished women (and it totally makes sense) to purchase large quantities of the cheapest foods available (chips, rice, beans, tortillas etc...) rather than budgeting for a better balanced assortment of nutrients. on a small-scale, i would love to see these women learning how to better budget so that they can incorporate more protein into their diets, and learn why protein is important as well. i think that much of the problem lies in the fact that many of them do not have refrigerators and therefore, cannot keep most protein sources fresh. addressing the issue will require some thought, planning and research, but it's one i definitely plan to work on.

Q: what have you learned from being in honduras during this particular visit... because i know it's something!
A: this trip, i've found myself wondering how much of my faith i make so unnecessarily complicated. the women I work with are so quick to thank God for the smallest things, and even quicker to say, "I trust Him," in the large ones. their faith journey is not a sub-cultured, trendy part of their lives that's spelled out in buzzwords and name drops and tones of voice. it's a simple, steady walk with God in which they trust and depend on Him for things that you and i use every day, but don't ever notice.

where there is love, there is art.