June 08/year 2
in Honduras
Janet Alcántara

“We sailed from Philippi… five days later joined them in Troas… then off to Assos…”—Acts 20:6, 13


June was a month of travel! ICLH Program Coordinator Rubí Flores (center, seen with Rev. Rafaela Morales) and I represented the Honduran Lutheran Church with presentations at the New England Synod Assembly in Worcester, Mass. The NES is a new ministry partner with the ICLH. For social worker, Spanish-speaking-only Rubí, plunging into an English world, wearing an alb, and preaching for the first time was daunting but she responded with admirable bravery.

Janet group singing

Immediately after that, I headed for Seattle and converged briefly with other family for daughter Keitlyn’s graduation from the University of Washington (Anthropology/ Archaeology). The ceremony in Husky Stadium, with 4,100 graduates, took 4 hours! Keitlyn is off to Corsica for a month-long course on archeological mapping and core sampling.

Keit graduation in Seattle
Outgoing ELCA Youth Director

I’d been so involved in the planning of the First National Youth Assembly, I could hardly wait to get back and hear the details of its success! The 85 participants studied leadership from biblical and secular perspectives, critical thinking, and election techniques before selecting 3 candidates to run for the position of departing Youth Director Xiomara Ponce (left).

ELCA Youth Group Leadership Seminar
In faith and service in Christ, --janet
Deaconess Janet Russell Alcántara/Iglesia Cristiana Luterana de Honduras/ dcsjanet@hotmail.com

Ambiance

Street peddlers
Working from home the past weeks, I notice more the street peddlers’ frequent calls throughout the day. Besides the tinkling of ice cream cart bells, cobblers announce, “¡Arreglo zapatos!” and what sounds like “ah-ah-ah arreglozapatoi” (Greek?) but which means, “I do same day shoe repair.” Green-grocers in pickup trucks sound their horns and slur the names of their produce over a loudspeaker: “Haypiñapapaya plátanonaranja tomateaguacate…” with an upward lilt at the end. I listen carefully to all the drinking-water sellers (“¡Agua! ¡Hay agua!”) for my preferred brand, Agua Azul: “¡A-zooooo-l! Agua-zooo-l.” Scrap metal buyers beg for rags, old batteries and wire as well as other leftover items of reusable metal. The housewares vendor proclaims, “¡Escobas! ¡Recogedores! ¡Trapeadores!” (Brooms! Dustpans! Mops!”) A tortilla seller with a particularly raucous voice screeches piercingly, “t’-TEEE-‘AS”, incidentally illustrating the tendency to elide or omit sounds after yelling them again and again.

Ambulance Icon Separator

Convalescence update
The ankle continues to heal steadily. At home, I limp without crutches, but take one for extra stability when I go out. I still tire quickly—after 6-8 blocks of walking. In physiotherapy, I’ve progressed from hot packs, laser massage, and hydrotherapy to stretching and flexibility exercises on the Center´s equipment. I can also drive a car! Rah!




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Janet Alcántara
I.C.L.H., Apdo. 2861
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
C.A.