Chapel Charibs

Hoy fui especial para me, proque las chicas de hugar pequenas rosas auydame prepara por el servicio manana. Yo espero el servico manana es buien por los estudiantes. Yo no tuve un buien dia en mi clase. Mis estudiantes tuvieron problemas con aprendando. Ellos tuvieron sus pre examins por spelling. Yo niecito que trabajar con ellos mas. En el grado de 7th ellos no trabjaron hoy tambien. La mesa sente dos veces durante clase. Los estudiantes en 7th grado no fuieron buien en la clase. Yo no se este problema comigo mi ensenanza? Pero ahor estoy escuchando la muscia de Bob Marley estar feliz. Yo niecito que esta como Jesus con los ninos en mis clases pero 'el es un hijo de Dios los chichos estari'an buieno por Jesus verdad? "En Dios pondre' mi esperanza y todavia lo alabare'" Salmo 42:5
Muchos Gracias por sus orienciones hoy.
La Reverenda Val

Today was speicial for me because the girls from the home Our Little Roses helped me prepare for the service tomorrow. I hope the service tomorrow is good for the students. I did not have a good day in class today. My students had promblems with learning. They had thier pre tests for spelling. I need to work with them more. The 7th graders they did not work today also. The table fell twice during class. The students in the 7th grade were not good in class. I don't know what the problem is with my teaching? But right now I am listening to the music of Bob Marley. I am happy. I need to be like Jesus with my kids in my class but he is the son of God The kids would listen to Jesus Yes? of course " In God place your hope" Psalm 42:5
Thank you so much for your prayers.
The Reverend Val

Este Noche

Hoy yo habla' en espanol enfronte las ninas de pequenas rosas. En la escuela los estudinantes quieran participar en el servicio las miercioles y las ninas de pequenas roase ellas les gustan participar en el servicion los miercioles en la noche. Yo estoy agradicio por este oportunidad en mi vida. Yo se' El Esperitu Santo se conmigo por siempre. Las clases hoy fuieran muy biuen para mi y los estudiantes de grado 9th y 6th por clases layando y spelling (no se' en espanol) Un difirente typo es mi hermanos boda a su novia es un mes lejos! Yo estoy feliz sobre la boda en Novembre. Mi suieno por las ninas en el hugar de pequenas rosas este ellas discubriri'an son almas por vida y Dios. Yo soy un vaso de Dios este es primira cosa en mi vada ahora. En mi vida ahora vivire' por mis suienos solamente! En el pasado yo vive' por ultra personas , que ellos pensamentan de yo? y ahora no cuidado nada cuando este sombre ultras perosnas opinion sobre yo. Cuano este sobre mi trabaja es difirente yo quiero opinions profesionales. Este noche el servico fue buieno con las ninas de pequenas rosas. Yo estoy ir dormindo este noche con sonrisa en mi cara. Gracias mis amigos y familia y diferente personas en mi vida. Paz de Dios con ustedes.
Reverenda. Val

Today I spoke in Spanish infront of the girls of Little Roses. In school the students wanted to participate in the service on Wednesdays and the girls of little roses they would like to pariciapte in the services on Wednesday nights. I am thankful for this opportunity in my ls niife. I think the Holy Spirit is with me forever. the classes today were very good for me and the students of 9th and 6th grade. For a diffrenent topic my brother and his fieiance's weeding is one month away! I am happy about the wedding in November. My dream for the girls in the home of little roses is that they discover thier souls for life and God. I am a vesel of God this is the first thing in my life now. In my life now I live for my dreams only. In the past I lived for other peoples oppions of me. and now I don't care about anything when its about another person oppion of me. When it's about my work it's diffrent I want professinal opinions. Tongiht the service was good with the girls. I am going to sleep this night with a smile on my face. Thank you my friends, family and different people in my life.
Peace of God with all of you.
Rev. Val

Rained Out

Today we had no school due to the amount of rain we have been having. I spent my day cleaning my room and studying spanish. I had my first offical phone converstation with The Rev. Rosa Anglica in Spanish. Needless to say it was difficult yet we got that we would be meeting this Friday at 3pm in the her office at the catherderal. I am wondering how this will workout yet I am hoping on the best and the Holy Spirit to help me with my Spanish. I am really trying to put the pedal to the metal when it comes to learning Spanish. Maybe my next blog will be bilingual? I had Spanish class today. We are now into complex sentecnes like If you say so we will leave immediately Conditional sentences wow are they hard. I thik the translation into this: Si dices que si, Nos saliriamos ahora! Change in topic. I joined a gym yesterday and worked out. Wow I feel great and I hope to join a boxing class yet I will be the only female wow don't know how that will work itself out. This weekend I hope to go to Copan and visit the Mayan ruins. I think it will be an awesome experince. I am so very excited.
Thank you for all your prayers of support.
Paz de Dios,
Valerie Miller

Prayer Keeps It Real

I have found time after time that prayer is what keeps it real for me. There has been so many shifts of existence and change in my life. Yet, I can feel with those shifts comes the growth of spirit. I had the honor of giving communion to my bishop, Bishop Leo Frade. Bishop Frade came down to Honduras with Diana Frade also my boss and many wonder clergy spouse from the diocese of South East FL. It has been wondeful sharing the great minstry here with Our Little Roses and Holy Family School. I keep on learning and growing into my ministry. My priniciple Ms. Evelyn has been working closly with me about improving the chaple service. I am so excited of what things await in the experience of being here. Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts they mean so much to me.
The Rev. Val Miller

It's my B-day

I have had a great day thus far. There has been so many wishes of love and happyness. I am so over joyed. I have high hope for the future and I am ready to live more of life!! Paz de Dios Val

My 30th Birthday tomorrow PARTY!!

Well tomorrow is a big day for me I turn 30 yep that's right 30! I am excited. I had a friend tell me that I was going to cry on my 30th birthday. Today I feel thankful that most likely I will see my birthday and I am over joyed that I have lived through so much and continue explore what life has to offer. No tears today. I am also so happy that my new house mates are going to bake me a strawberry cake yummy! I am also going out to diner with them. I don't know where? I am so very happy that my aunt Valerie will be flying down tomorrow to spend some time with me in celebration and catching up. I really do miss so many people right now and wish I could be celebrating either in FL or up north in Boston at EDS with great friends. I am so grateful for being able to have lived in community throughout my life with so many kinds of people. I can't wait for what the next ten years and what God will make manifest in my life. We all go through heart ache, pain, loss, grief yet it's the times of joy and laughter those moments that connect us to the deeply felt audience of God. God is with us in our tragedies yet life is a celebration. I decide to take a positive attitude about aging...it happens...I cam so tiered of women kicking the crap out of their self-esteems to look like flipping Barbee, hello people she is a plastic doll with an ill proportion body. This journey continues to be looking within to the deep part of the soul and letting the love of God be my spirit Cosmo! The Madonna de Guadalupe is my Cosmo girl! Mother Teresa you name the ladies of faith and they are truly of pure beauty. I can only aspire to drop the superficial and embrace the real the raw of beauty. I say to myself Welcome to 30!! I love what God created in you !!!
Thank you for your prayers of love and support you all are with me tomorrow as I celebrate my 30th in Honduras ROCK ON !!!
Paz de Dios ....join the Fiesta !!!
Val

The Kindness of Strangers

I know that I wrote about my awesome experience of Independence day in Honduras. Here is a photo of the family who took care of the volunteer group and friends for a weekend. I am finding that Honduras continues to be a place of deep healing and an abundence of great things. I am still struggling with my teaching and ministry yet I keep reminding myself that this is my first out there in the world of ministry and mission. Hospitality seems to be the central heart of everyone I have met here in Honduras. I have stepped out of my honeymoon phase and continue to grow. I am doing my best to breathe, and savior every moment. My Spanish is growing paso y paso, step by step. I continue to keep on praying in Spanish because I feel that it's a language of my heart. Now it's winter in Honduras and today it rained like cats and dogs. Speaking of dogs I had a very sad encounter with one today. When I came home from school I was opening our gate and notices to my surprise a little dog sitting in our entry way area. He was a little fella he had pieces of his hair missing and had pick patches and blood on his skin. he had big brown eyes looking up at me. He was all wet because of the rain. I called out to my house mate in doors to come help me with the dog. I was worried that the dog was really ill. I opened the gate and the dog let me walk pass by him. He went running out into the street. A man who came up to sale water tried to throw a rock at the dog but I said NO ESTA BUIEN ! No it's alright No! As the dog ran away he looked behind at me like ,"What happen I had a dry safe place.....??" My house mate said we could have called a vet yet I was thinking well what then is going to happen to the dog we can't take it in? I was telling my house mate how badly I felt about the dog. She then launches into how there are social justice issues around the care of animals and that next time I will have choice when it comes to the care of animals. I am sure she meant well yet I took the comment as an insult. I love animals! I was a vegetarian for years and I have a pet of my own that my family takes care of. I am still processing the whole experience of the day. I think we truly live our lives when we are kind to strangers and have warm open hospitality from the heart. I have a place in my heart for children, animals and the rest of humanity. I will continue to pray for the little dog I found today that he finds shelter and something to eat. I was warned in my mission conference that the poverty would get to the heart of me...and that I should make sure not to get stuck there in the feeling of not being able to do anything to fix it. Yet serving Christ is not about fixing people, situations and governments it's about living out kindness to all you meet. I think today I tried my best to live out kindness to the dog, I talked to the dog with an open prayer before I open the gate. Kindness what a blessing in the middle of the storms of life.

Gracias Todo,

The Rev. Val Miller

Culture Shock 101

Well the other night at dinner I had a surprise in my meal a pair of chicken feet...yes, that's right chicken feet. I guess this is something many Hondurans enjoy. I asked some of the girl if they would like my two chicken feet to eat and they gladly took them off my plate. I reached down with my hands to pass the little chicken feet and chills ran down my spine due to fright not love. However, I smiled and passed those feet onward to a happy camper. I am ready to call Vegetarian International and get myself set up back to being a vegetarian. No really I am...gosh some tofu sounds great to me right now. Yet, I hate to be too rude I had to draw the line of exploration when it came to the chicken feet. I am a woman who will try anything once yet not feet yuck! Other wise the meals have been great. I am having a better week. Today the principle and I have been working on how to improve the chapel service so that it can be a more likable experience for all. I am open to any growth at this point and I hope to always be open to growth in the future as a minister. Thank you agian everyone for all your prayers and thoughts. I pray for all of you as well.
Paz de Dios,
Valerie Miller