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Morris Family Webpage The update: Andy, Laura, and Luke ---------  ----------  ---------  ----------  ---------  ----------  ---------  ----------  ---------  ---------  ---------   May 31 May showers bring . . . cooler weather!  We have been enjoying the cooler nights lately.  Today, in fact, the temperature has been very moderate because it rained all night long.  The farmers had been worried last week because they all planted their seeds as usual, but the rain didn't come.  If the rain had held off much longer, most of the farmers would have lost their crops for the season, meaning they would have lost most of the food they and their animals survive on.  So everyone is grateful that the rain has come.   What does rain mean or look like here?  It means that it usually rains at least once a day and usually in the afternoon.  When it rains, it pours.  You cannot even hear yourself speak because the rain is so loud.  The satellite connection goes out.  Many times, the lights go out.  And usually, Marin, Maura, and Jack can be found playing outside in the torrential rainfall.  This also means that days are generally more overcast.  Everything is starting to get damp.  Crackers and cereal are getting stale.  The laundry isn't quite dry when I bring it in at the end of the day; but it won't get any drier than it already is.  However, we have more than enough water to wash with, clean with, water plants with, and drink.   Don Beto and Don Nato, the two vigilantes (guards) have been cleaning out the lower tank which holds the roof runoff for when the upper tank runs out of water.  Apparently, this is quite a nasty job because the bottom of the lower tank is pure sludge.  They have done it twice so far and will probably repeat the process, though I'm not quite sure what "cleaning the tank" entails.  Sounds like some clorox would do some good.   So our lives are full of water.  We take our umbrellas when we go out, we try to plan outings for the morning when it is less likely to rain, and we don't have to stand in a bucket anymore when we shower! May 28 Home!  Ahh, how nice.  The best part about being home is the FULL NIGHT of sleep I have gotten the past two nights! It is so nice to sleep again.  Luke does not travel well, as far as sleep is concerned.  The worst part has been the nursing nightmares that have suddenly become a persistent part of my life: plugged ducts, mastitis, and maybe thrush.  Not fun!  We are working on it, though. Luke is doing well, eating well, sleeping well, laughing a lot.  He is a very smiley baby.  He loves to smile with people.  He learned to clap his hands together today.  Very impressive.  He is not crawling but is getting more and more comfortable leaning out on his knees from sitting position.  We shall see.  We aren't in a huge rush for him to crawl because once he can move on his own he will be everywhere and in to everything. Andy and I have been doing more talking, more thinking, and more praying about how we can spend quality time together as a family.  Finding a work/family balance is hard in a place where everything seems to be work.  As long as we continue to communicate about it, I figure we are on the right track.   At church on Sunday, we were excited to see friends and continue to deepen those relationships.  It is always nice to know the people you are sitting around, what they do for a living, who their kids are, etc.  We are learning those things slowly but surely.   We are planning on having a busy summer with medical students, college students, dentists, and various other people coming through town.  Right now, we have Alejandro from Athens, GA.  He is working on anything and everything, helping out wherever he can; and he is staying busy.  He and Mike (the peace corps volunteer) put on the first Hombro a Hombro clinic movie night and showed "Rocky."  It went  well, though they didn't get the numbers they predicted.  We are excited for what this summer will bring. Thank you to everyone who came to see us at an open house, in Houston or in Asheville!  It was wonderful to see family and friends and be able to share that time with you.   May 15 Our trip to the States has been a huge blessing to us!  It has served to remind us of our calling and the process we went through to ascertain what that looked like; to encourage us through friends and family; and to rejuvenate us with time together as a family, good conversation with friends, and time spent outdoors in more moderate climates.   Are we ready to return?  Yes, though now we know why most missionaries wait until they have been in country at least a year to return to the US.  Six-months is probably the hardest time to leave (or the easiest) because it is a critical time in the establishment of relationships and in the acclimation of the worker overseas.  Six-months is when one begins to freak out and decide that really life would be much better back in North Carolina or Texas.  Though we are at a point in Santa Lucia where the challenges seem big and the heat seems unbearable, we also know that we are not there by accident, that we have been called to live and serve in that town.  We also know that with a little more time and intentional relationship-building, we will feel more settled, have more local friends, and adapt to where we are and where God has us.  Thankfully, our trip back has served to strengthen and remind us of that calling.   Tomorrow, Andy and I split ways as he travels to a conference in Charlotte, and I return to Houston with Luke for a little more time with our families.  We will meet up in the airport to fly back to Honduras with Alexander (a college student and summer volunteer) and maybe Marvin (the Honduran director in the US for a StS board meeting).   What I am most dreading as we plan our return is the road.  Horribly bumpy road + tired and crying baby = miserable three hours (at the end of a seven hour drive).  Once we get home, however, I am looking forward to the return of a routine, Luke sleeping through the night again, getting back to ESL and life skills, and to the life that has become our life.   May 6 We've been in Texas for five days.  We have enjoyed an open house at Laura's parents' house, skiing at the lake, and time with family.  It has been so nice to have running water and milder temperatures.  Have we had any reverse-culture shock?  In some ways, yes (like being way too cold all the time and amazed that toilets can flush toilet paper).  In some ways, we came back too soon to experience a lot of reverse shock.  We are enjoying the opportunity to share about our experience thus far with friends and family.  They have a lot of good questions and keep us processing and thinking about our life in Honduras.

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