Spanish School

Sharon and I hope the beginning of the new year has moved your hope forward and up.

Before leaving the US we attended a Growth and Renewal Retreat in Michigan put on by Alongside Ministries. We were joined by nine other foreign missionary couples and their families. The schedule was grueling (emotionally) – two seminars each morning, followed by a small group session, and then couples counseling in the afternoon. It was all good, but also extremely intense! The sense of community we experienced with both the counselors and the other participants was food for our souls. The retreat center is located in a beautiful natural setting with multiple hiking trails and we were blessed to see the beginning of the fall colors and the biggest mushroom we have ever seen in our lives!

On our drive from Michigan to Florida we stopped in Lexington to celebrate Sharon’s 45th birthday at Kentucky Horse Park. She has had a great love for horses ever since she was a child and was fortunate enough to receive one for Christmas when she was 12 years old!

Our last few days in Florida before flying back to Honduras were completely packed (pun intended:). During this time we had decided to either sell the car we had been gifted or re-gift it to someone who needed a car but could not afford one. A friend of ours immediately put us in contact with a family whose daughter was looking to buy her first car. From the moment we met the family we both knew she would be the next owner of “Gracie Gold”. The young woman was so excited to be getting our ‘oldie, but goody’ automobile. They offered us a fair market price and we accepted the financial blessing. But honestly, the best part was watching how excited this young woman was about her ‘new’ car. She even told us she was keeping the car’s name because, “I love it!” The car was a blessing from the moment we got it, the 17,000 miles we drove it and as we passed the keys over.

We arrived back in Honduras on November 3^rd. The first weeks were spent visiting dear friends on the north coast of the country and outfitting ourselves for Spanish language school. Then we drove the 10 hours to Siguatepeque (See-Gwah-Tuh-Peck-Eh) where the school is located. The locals simply call it “Sigua” (it’s less of a mouthful:). While here, we are house and pet sitting the homes of missionaries who are back in the US. This provides us very affordable housing and them with peace of mind. Everybody wins! Right now we are watching two cats, one hen, and one duck. Which Sharon loves because she had hens and a duck in her youth. Basically, she lived on a mini farm:)!

People have asked us why we are going to Spanish school and we will try to explain. Sharon has been coming to Honduras for 30 years and I have been doing so for 25 years. In all that time, we have done very little formal language study. The end result is that our vocabulary is extensive, but our grammar is very bad. Another problem is the mental exhaustion of translating our thoughts from fluent English into severely handicapped Spanish. The best way I can describe the experience would be like trying to drive to a destination, but constantly being rerouted because the best roads are closed to you. You will arrive taking the back-roads…eventually. We have always had a desire to improve our Spanish, however, never the time or energy to do so, until now. As Sharon’s teacher told her one day, “She talks a lot, but doesn’t follow any of the rules!”

While attending classes we are also working on our Realignment Phase of Sabbatical. During this time we are: reviewing our calling, assessing our fit in current and potential roles, and planning for renewed contribution to ministry work. The first step is working through a Personal Contribution Assessment provided free by The Navigators (see link). It is a tool to help us “increase our ability to love God, love others, love ourselves, and build up the Body of Christ”. The desire of our hearts moving forward is to continue serving in nursing and education, even so, exactly what form it will take is one of the things for which we are seeking clarity from God.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the teachers and students from the school. And we celebrated Christmas with our good friend Gustavo and his family. It was lovely!

We are grateful for:

• 2026 approval for a free migraine medication and the provider who made it possible.
• The retreat we were able to attend and the inner work that we began there.
• The missionaries who have trusted us with their homes and pets.
• The time and opportunity to improve our Spanish communication skills!

Please pray for:

• Us to continue to hear the Holy Spirit as we make long term healthy choices.
• Sharon’s migraines – the last 3 months have been worse with little relief and it is very hard.
• One of our best friends who has been bed bound since November with a not fully diagnosed illness.
• Our brains to unlearn 25+ years of bad Spanish habits and learn proper grammar.