Honduras Part 4

6. Thursday
This was a great day too! We went up to a mountain village. We got to see the work that the Humanity and Hope United Foundation had begun (https://www.facebook.com/humanityandhope). And then we got to go down by a river for lunch!! It was so beautiful and you better believe that we all took our shoes off and went into the water and played around. It was super refreshing and awesome. And everyone tried to convince me that there was a crocodile and I was totally believing them. I mean when your translator is saying that there is an animal in the water, you are going to believe her... there were not crocodiles but we did see a dead calf floating in the river. Our translators made sure that it has a proper watery burial. Lunch was fun. Then we got to go to someones home. We divided into 4 groups, took a food box and spend an hour or so with a family in their home. We got to learn about them and play with them and then we were able to give them a food box, and another small gift with household items in it. The bus ride too and from the village was absolutely terrifying and I was freaking out. We were on a narrow road, in a school bus, and on one side was a drop that lead straight into the river. I didn't look at exactly how much room there was between our tires and the edge of the drop off, but I do know that it was less than a foot. Soooo that was fun....
I am glad that we stayed on the road though because Thursday night was awesome! We got to go to Rigo and Gabby Galvez's house for dinner. They are missionaries that our church supports. (http://weunlimited.org/) Rigo is a great man of God and Gabby and her mother our prayer warriors. Four years ago they prayed for me, and reaffirmed my calling. This time, they told me not to worry because everything that I wanted to do for the Lord, He was going to have me do. They told me that He is my strength and that He will be that strength in my weakness. They told me that it was time for me to do what I was supposed to do and that God was going to help me. It was powerful stuff. I really felt God's spirit. I felt renewed and ready to take on my calling. I also got to witness my friends and family being prayed over and receive prophecy. It was a really great night. I decided something major that night.... and I will share that at the end.
I bawled like a baby on Thursday.

7. Friday
We got to go rest and unwind at the beach. All of the young people overtook the back of the bus and we had a music and dance party which was super fun! I also got the privilege of baptizing my cousin, and my very best friend, Kara, in the ocean! It was incredible. I got super sunburned, but it was an amazing day.
When we returned to the hotel, I had to say goodbye to two of our translators. Andrea and Adriel. Andrea lives here in Indiana and goes to my church, that goodbye was not too hard. I knew though that saying goodbye to Adriel was going to be difficult. There are people in your life who you just connect with in a really awesome and sometimes in-explainable way. I really connected with Adriel, this awesome 13 year old who has such a caring heart and a wonderful spirit. It was not a goodbye forever, but rather a "I'll see you soon." That was a really hard and sucky part of the trip. Goodbyes are just hard.
We did get to go to a very large church on Friday night, and that was awesome! They had dancers on the stage in three different places, they had a dancing girls group, and a dancing boys group in the front by the stage, they had a flag twirler and a Shofar. It was awesome! I think it was a small glimpse of what Heaven will be like!
And Friday night, we had a pizza party and a sob fest saying goodbye to another translator. Then I went back to my room and Kara held me so I could cry some more because leaving Honduras is really hard. It is really heartbreaking to leave a place that you love. I didn't feel like I was going to be coming home, I felt like I was leaving home.

8. Saturday
We had to leave on Saturday. I tried to stay. I was a mess on the way to the airport, I just cried. But in my crying, I clearly heard God say, "Charlotte, I am going to use you in Honduras. I will use you and I have plans for you here." I needed to hear that. I think I have known it for a while, but clearly hearing it reminded me that leaving was only temporary and I would be back. I cried even more as we said goodbye to the other translators, and our leader and our bus driver. I cried when I looked over my shoulder from inside the airport and realized that I really had to leave. And I cried as we sat at our gate waiting to board the plane. It was a hard day... but I know that I will be going back soon!