And Now I Feel Complete.

My heart has been so happy since arriving in Honduras. I hear more Spanish than I know what to do with, my students call me "Mees", the food is good for your soul, the people (Honduran and North American) are so friendly, and I get to see Miss Vilma every single week. It'd be enough for me to just see her, but I actually get to hug her and talk to her and just be with her.

 

Her TENTH birthday was on Monday. TEN. She was five when I saw her last and now she is double digits. She's just as precious and as wonderful as she is when I left her four years ago. Sindy, Yessenia, Lorena, and I went to the grocery store on Tuesday to buy her some cupcakes and to buy fod to cook dinner for Bible study. We grabbed a taxi up to the pastor's house and my chef skills were put to the test. (Let's just say that I still have a lot to learn.)

 

While cooking dinner, the pastor's wife and I stood on the balcony and shouted down to Vilma's house. She was doing so much better this week than last week. I mean, anything would have been an improvement, but she was actually walking around and smiling and talking. We told her that we would be down after cooking, so to stay around the house.

 

I was mentally rushing these people to cook faster. Did I say that I was cooking? I was mostly just offering moral support. After what seemed like ages, our spaghetti was done cooking and we made the walk down to Vilma's house. I was smiling the ENTIRE time. I'm not exaggerating at all when I say that just the idea of seeing her again puts the hugest smile on my face.

 

We got to her house and lit the candles on her cupcakes. Lorena, Sindy, and Yessenia were shouting at her to come out of the house, her mom was shouting at her to get out of the house. I was mentally telling her to get outside because I didn't actually know how to say that in Spanish. Come on, sunshine, your house isn't that big. You can hear us shouting, you know I'm here, let's move it.

 

And then she came outside.
 

She had changed into her nicest dress to show us for her birthday. She had been washing her face and doing her hair. I took back everything I had mentally scolded her for. We sang to her and she blew out her candles. She and I never broke eye contact. Our expressions mirrored each other's-- smiles that covered our whole faces while never breaking eye contact.

 

 

As soon as we were done singing, she ran into my arms. We hugged for such a long time, but it wasn't long enough. She told me that she loves me and then we had a brief conversation where both of us teared up from sheer happiness.  She ran into her house and brought out a framed picture off of her entertainment center-- a picture of her and I with Traci from the last time I was in Honduras. I couldn't wipe the silly smile off of my face.
 



Sorry for being so sweaty.


Our communication is hindered due to the language barrier and the fact that I absolutely freeze when I have to use Spanish, but we don't really need to talk too much. Just being together is enough. She and I both know that. She and I both accept that.

 

Happy Birthday, beautiful. I'm so blessed to have spent this wonderful milestone with you.