The much needed update! :)

Hey guys, I’m sorry it has taken me so long to get this blog updated…

The 1st of this month, Hannah, Amanda, and I went to the Bay Islands for 12 wonderful days of relaxation, bliss, and time to recharge for the rest of our time here at the Hogar. It was a great vacation. I have always wanted to see clear water, and white sand in person… and I have fulfilled the dream now!

My prayer is that wherever I travel I will let God use me, no matter if I’m on a mission trip, vacation, or whatever it may be. Well, I continued praying that same prayer in Roatan, and the first day we got to spend on the beach, we met a girl on the beach and played soccer with her and a few other people. It was really nice talking to her… but after we finished playing soccer, she said, “hey, will I see you all around tonight at the bars?” and we told her that we don’t drink, but that we might see her around on the beach again. She looked really surprised and said, “oh, are you guys Christians or something?” We said, “yes” and told her that we have been working at the Hogar de Ninos. She didn’t have much to say after that… We saw her the next day in passing… she waved and said hi, we said hi back, but we didn’t stop to really wait for an answer… the whole rest of the day I felt horrible for not stopping to talk to her. I prayed the next morning that God would give me another chance to talk to her, or to witness to her…at that time I heard a clear voice saying, “give her your Bible” and I was a little shocked, and I said, “What? Really, God? And His answer didn’t change… so I thought about how I would go about finding her, because it was Friday at this point in time, and she had said that she was leaving on Saturday. I didn’t know if I’d even be able to find her… but I told the older lady that we were staying with, and she said, “don’t give her your Bible, we can buy her a new one!” So we drove about 35 minutes to a Christian book store, and I bought her a Bible… drove back to the beach where we had planned on being all day. I knew that my chances would be better to find her if I walked around instead of just sitting on the beach… but I didn’t feel safe going anywhere by myself… so, I sat on the beach where we had first met her, and prayed. I prayed, and prayed and prayed, and when I finished praying, I turned to look behind me, and there she was! She was walking by on her cell phone. I ran over to her and said, “hey, this is going to sound really strange, but I have something for you!”. She was really surprised, and I told her the whole story, and she said, “do you think I’m bad?” and I said, “no no, it’s not like that at all! I really don’t know why God asked me to give you a Bible… but, even if you already have a Bible, know that this one was purchased just for you.” After I explained a little bit more, she started to thank me… I don’t know if I will ever know why God had me give her a Bible, or if she was offended… I just know that I heard God’s voice telling me to give her a Bible… and listening to that voice was the most important thing to me. I guess some things we just have to wait for heaven to fully understand… but I believe that everything happens for a reason. I would really appreciate it if you all could keep her in your prayers. I don’t remember her name… but God knows.

The rest of the vacation consisted of relaxing on the beach, snorkeling, and cooking/baking, and eating lots and lots of American food. :)

When we arrived back to the Hogar, there was a group from Andrews University here. They have been coming every year for nine years now. Last week, while the group was here we had FLAG Camp. (Friends Learning About God) I ended up teaching the music class with another Student Missionary, and playing the keyboard for morning worship every morning. It was a really great week. Also, last Friday night we had the opportunity to be on one of the local tv stations here, and so, we (Hannah, Amanda, and I) put together a small choir from the Hogar, and we had a program on a live tv station! It was a really awesome experience. I was behind the scenes conducting for the choir… which was perfect for me, because I am way more comfortable behind that camera.

This last week has made me realize how much fun it is to teach, and also how tiring it is… and how teaching the same things five times a day for five different classes is exhausting… However, I realized that my last classes were always the most put together because I had so much practice teaching the material already! Ha. :) Camp started on Monday and ended on Thursday. Thursday night we had a presentation for family and friends at the church… the whole week I taught them different musical terms at the beginning of class, and the second half of class we taught the kids a new song. So, for the program I had asked the kids to share some of the key terms we learned throughout the week, and then they sang two Christmas carols. It went really well. I was proud of them! :) Then Friday was a field day which was really fun for all of the kids, and it was great for getting all of their energy out as well.

The group from Andrews stayed here for 10 days, and yesterday we went with them to a water park about 3 hours away… it was so much fun. It rained the whole day, but that didn’t stop us from swimming, going down the slides, and body surfing in the ocean. :) It was a lot of fun to have the group here, and to have an extra boost of energy here as well. We all had to say the sad goodbyes last night… it gave me a taste of what I’m going to have to go through when I leave these kids behind… the group was only here for 10 days, but all of the kids were so sad to see them go, and some took it harder than others and were crying tears that made me want to start crying with them. Sometimes I forget what I have here… I have a family away from home. I have a date to look forward to for my home in the States, but what I had been forgetting is how much these kids really do mean to me… and it took last night to realize how hard it is going to be to say goodbye to them in April. Sure, I miss home, and I miss my family, but I know that it is going to be such a sad day when I have to go home. I will be so happy to see my family and friends when I go home, but these kids have touched my heart, and they all have a place in my heart now… and I’m going to miss them so much when I leave… sometimes it’s hard to see past the hard days, past the bad attitudes, past the drama, but I know that God placed me here for a reason. And I have already done so much growth in my spiritual life, and I don’t even feel like the same person as I was when I first arrived here to the Hogar.

I’m not sure what my future holds… but all that is important to me anymore is leaving everything in God’s hands. I can’t thank you all enough for helping me get here, and for keeping me in your prayers. I am so blessed to be here, and to have you all as friends.

<3

Just a taste of Roatan...

Just a taste of Roatan... more pictures to come... for now, it's time for me to head off to bed. :)

Vacation to Roatan! :)

Hey guys, sorry that I didn't post anything before leaving for vacation for two weeks. Had a great time in the Bay Islands... and I will try to write a longer blog later telling you all about it.

Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the Christmas season. Enjoy the cold weather for me... I miss it!

Much love,

-Me

American food is yummy... :)

Thanksgiving dinner, Honduras style. Still American food though. :) I didn't think that it would work out for us to do Thanksgiving dinner, but thanks to some last minute planning it worked out great!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Thanksgiving...

So many times, it is so easy to take friends, family, things, and warm beds for granted. This year I am realizing how much I took for granted in years past, and just how little I really appreciated the people and things around me. This Thanksgiving is, and will be different. I wish that I could be with my friends and family, and enjoying conversation along with a good home-cooked meal, but this year God has different plans for me. I find myself complaining about little things here and there, but I have a bed, a shower, and food on my plate every day. I really have nothing to complain about. Sure some days the kids get on my nerves, and other days the staff make me frustrated...but there's a bigger picture involved here...it's not about the here and now, it's about the progress and the work, and the end results of the hard days...

I found out last Thursday, 11/19/09, that a fellow student missionary on the island of Yap was murdered. We're living in a sinful world, and we must love while we can, we must choose to appreciate while we can, and we must choose to live our lives to the fullest while we can. Even though I didn't know her personally, I took, and am taking, the news very hard...she was on the front lines of the battlefield. She was doing God's work, and the enemy wanted to stop her. Going out as a student missionary is not always a safe thing to do, but she died working for the Lord, and I am so proud of her.

I know that it's hard to see the reasons for why God allows some of these horrible things to happen, but I was thinking about it... and I came to the conclusion that even tho' we can't always see the reasons behind the horrible things... everything that happens is just part of the puzzle of life, and some pieces make more sense than other ones, but everything is coming together to form a finish in this world... and I believe that the end is near, and I know that God has reasons bigger than our understanding for every good and bad thing that happens...

I am thankful to be alive and working for the Lord. We must live everyday for the Lord, no matter where we are...time on this earth is short, and we never know which day will be our last. Please keep the Wolcott family in your prayers...they will be needing all the extra prayers they can get, especially around the Holidays...

Much love,

Laurel

These days...

I miss school. I miss studying. I miss practicing the piano. I even miss lectures! Being away from the things I took for granted made me miss and appreciate them all the more. When performing the piano at recitals I would always get so nervous, but now, I want to share my talents. I’m excited to be on that stage again to make music for the people around me. Music is such a huge part of my life… always has been, and always will be. My sister and I started singing together when we were 3 and 6. Angela started singing for church at the age of 2 years old! We recorded a tape when we were 5 and 8. At school my major is music (piano performance) and I would really like to spread my performing from just piano to singing with Angela again. We have dreams of making music together and taking it on the road. When I get back to school we want to start playing (me on the keyboard, her on the guitar) and singing at little coffee houses. We’ll just have to see how things go with school and what not, but I would just love to make music with her again. I strongly believe that that is one of the talents that God gave us to share with the people around us, and I know that I didn’t appreciate singing with her when I had the opportunity… now that I am away from her, I miss it, and I miss her.

Not only have I realized my appreciation for school, but my appreciation and love for traveling. I have been bitten by the traveling bug. I’ve only been in Honduras for a little over 2 months, and I’m already aching to travel to different places! Since I’ve been here at the Hogar, I have met 5 awesome people from Germany. My friends, Ingrid and Marie, said that I could visit them whenever I wanted. I told them that maybe in the summer I would be able to visit them, but didn’t really think that it would be a possibility. I started talking to my parents about it, asking if they would be ok with me going… well, they were surprisingly supportive about it. I ended up finding a really cheap ticket to Germany, and I was able to purchase it about one week ago! I will be gone for 3 weeks, May 17-June 9. Marie will pick me up at an airport in Germany and then we will be off to see France, Switzerland, and Scotland! It has been my dream since I was a little kid to go to Scotland and visit all the castles and search for the Loc Ness. Ha. My sister and I would always talk about going to Scotland together, and I’m sad that she won’t be able to make the trip with me this time, but definitely next time.

I want to travel every summer to a different country for 2 weeks or 3 weeks at a time. I don’t just want to travel for myself, but I want to try to make a difference wherever I go, even if it’s just by being a living example… My friend Marie is not a Christian, and she doesn’t really believe in God. I have had the opportunity to talk to her about my beliefs and why I believe in the things that I do. It’s tested my knowledge and faith a lot. I have been trying to read through the whole Bible while I’m here in Honduras… I’m not very far, but it’s helping me in my spiritual growth. I want to know for myself why I believe the things I do, so that I can be a true witness to her. When I go to Germany I will have the option to either blend in, or to stand up for what I believe and be a witness.

God has been opening so many doors for me lately, and I couldn’t be happier to step through them! Dreams that I’ve had since I was little are coming true, and my life is so much more interesting. Sometimes I forget how cool God is, and think that if I want to be a Christian, I have to become boring, but that is SO NOT TRUE! God is SO awesome! I’m so excited to be working for Him and letting Him lead my life. Sure, things are not always easy, but without the hard days, I wouldn’t appreciate the good ones.

The kids here are so precious. They all need a therapist, and just someone to talk to… someone to help them through their problems and pasts. It’s so hard for me, because I am really struggling with Spanish, and so I don’t really get to be there for the kids that need someone to listen to them… but today, one of the girls wrote a letter to Hannah, my roommate, about some of the horrible things that have happened to her, and she knew that Hannah would translate it to me… in the letter the girl said, “I trust you (Hannah) and Laurel both, and that’s why I’m telling you my story…” Her letter made me so mad, angry, and sick to my stomach. She’s one of the tougher girls… and I knew exactly why she had that wall up… she was sold by her grandmother for 500 limpiras (about $35) for sex when she was just 12 years old. By her grandmother… as Hannah was reading the letter, I started to cry, as did Hannah, and her story is just one… I know that most of the girls here have been raped as well… it makes me so sick. And what can I do… I’m only going to be here 5 more months. I barely speak any Spanish, and what happens when they leave the Hogar… I pray that these kids can have a second chance at life through the Hogar. They all have the opportunity to go to college after they finish high school, and I pray that they take that opportunity. I was thinking the other day about how the kids love me one day, and completely ignore me another day… and with them, it’s normal. I was thinking how frustrating it is… right when I think I have a good relationship forming, it’s like they just leave, they forget all the progress that we made, and just go off and do their own thing… the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I do the exact thing with God. One day I will feel so close to God and talk to Him throughout my day… but on other days, I’ll wake up, and just go about my day without really thinking about God all that much. I might be here for the kids, but I have been benefiting from spiritual growth through my time here as well. I came here knowing that I would grow, but it’s really crazy how much I already feel myself changing for the better… being away from home has really opened my eyes to a lot of things…

Please keep these kids in your prayers… they really need it. They all need so much attention and love…

I miss you all, but I’m where I need to be right now.

Much love.

-Me

More pictures!

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with my updates... I will do my best to change that soon! For now, here is another slide show that my mom made! :)

Make a Smilebox slideshow