Parent Newsletter - Meet the Vols!

Periodically, the parents are sent a newsletter to keep them up-to-date on the activities at the Finca. Erin has authored this edition:
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5 January 2010

Dearest us-bearers,

Happy New Year to you from the Finca! After a relatively dry winter, January rains have (finally) arrived in full force, leaving volunteers sloshing around in rain boots, pulling out rarely-used sweatshirts from suitcases under our beds, and avoiding cold showers for days on end (or maybe that’s just me.) I, by the way, am Erin Ramse y, and I am one of the eight bright-eyed souls we call “newbies” who have just weathered our first three months (that’s a fourth of a year!... but who’s counting, right?) at the Finca and lived to tell the tale. Our past month has been chock-full of all the craziness, the absurdity, the grace and laughter and struggle that the Finca deals out daily. We’ve jumped head-first into a Honduran Christmas and New Year, complete with more tamales than any of us would ever really want to eat, plenty of dancing, and a few really beautiful liturgies. Some of us have gotten to experience what life is like in other parts of Honduras as we’ve accompanied our kids on vacations to visit family members or old house parents and inevitably have been offered countless glasses of Coca-Cola, weathered long bus rides with antsy children (no bathroom accidents as of yet!), and entered into the life of the poor in a new way. We've missed our families and friends, felt the giant hole left in our hearts with the departure of the oldies in early December, begun to feel more confident as we've started to fill the large shoes they leave behind, and been blessed with numerous visitors - including the entire Pennino family, the Tooher clan minus two, Kate's sister Emily, and a few long-time friends of the Farm - who always seem to bring us a spark of life, new stories to share around the dinner table, and, if we're lucky, chocolate. We've battled with the rapidly growing rat population in our house (here’s a shout out to Terry Mattoon, whose recently-sent, high-tech rat traps have given us the competitive edge we need on the frontlines), found our clothes molding over from the rains, and continually been graced, blessed and stretched by the challenge of actively loving each other which so deeply permeates this place. It is a difficult call, but we are learning. And it is good that we are here.

I'm not quite sure when the last parent letter was sent, or even to what extent we've all been introduced to you, newbies and middies alike... so, because my community mates, my sisters and brothers, are SO amazing, and in the spirit of celebrating their gifts, I'd like to take this edition of the parent letter to shine some light on just who exactly they are and the tiny ways they fill our home with joy, thoughtfulness and laughter daily.

Sheena - amazes all with her homemade Christmas cards; incredibly willing to say YES to all that is asked of her; quickly mastering the art of cooking rice and beans; thoughtful, spirited, and committed

Kate – shares lovely, in-tune guitar music for all to sing along to; pours out LOTS of love on our littlest ones; amazingly patient; is growing leaps in bounds in her mastery of Spanish; provider of granola bars and lice shampoo to all

Alisha – recently named rat-killing team captain; can spew prices for any Honduran meat and cheese off the top of her head; our fearless newest Landcruiser driver; always up for a great conversation; works incredibly hard behind-the-scenes to make sure the Finca doesn't fall to pieces

Keenan – victim of many practical jokes involving live chickens; singlehandedly inserting the word “absolutamente” into Finca vocabulary; putting in long hours in the school to take the Finca's colegio (6th-9th grades) math program by storm; already taking Finca bailes (dance parties) by storm with his highly-sought-after dance moves; friendly, fun-loving, and adored by our children

Kristina – gracefully leaps over cultural boundaries and builds bridges between all sorts of quirky, beautiful characters who live in the areas surrounding the Finca; first newbie to suffer a jellyfish sting and live to tell the tale; lover of dried fruit and dark chocolate; most consistent Thursday mail recipient; always shares her goodies; reflective, compassionate, and deeply generous

Ted – tests out Spanish slang on anyone who will listen; friend to all Finca animals; loves a challenging conversation, a game of chess, or a good book; most sought after community member in case of clogged toilets/car trouble/getting mauled by bears (don't worry, that hasn't actually happened... yet); spends free time learning to windsurf; smart, reliable, and always willing to lend a hand

Francesca – rocks socks with sandals in an effort to avoid mosquitoes; lights up our house with her frequent laughter; building wonderful relationships with our kids; thoughtful, soft-spoken, and considerate

Erin – newest giver of Finca haircuts to any and all brave volunteers willing to hand over a pair of scissors and their precious locks; battles with the fogon while trying to dream up interesting meal ideas for her community; attempts to manage large groups of children with grace and patience; sings in the shower; joyful, determined, and reflective

Peter – continues to weather the storm with two feet planted firmly on the ground as our fearless leader; named most-Honduran-like community member for his acquired taste of massive amounts of salt and manteca (lard) in food and use of Honduran habits; impressive comedic timing; intensely dedicated, perceptive, well-respected and very real

Beth – inspires volunteer running; cooking/baking guru and teacher to eager novice newbies; always available to listen to our health woes and provide smart, helpful counsel; caring, energetic, and thoughtful

Sara – dynamic storyteller who keeps our dinner table lively with all sorts of funny tales; manages the demands of the social work department with grace; always up for a good talk; personable, helpful, and full of life

Ryan – shows unbelievable patience with our littlest ones; keeps us in touch with the outside world with his knowledge of current events; provider of dryer sheets and Febreeze to all volunteers with molding clothing; kind, funny, and incredibly willing to serve

Quinn – shows incredible commitment to the education of our children; keeps our kitchen sparkling-clean (well, sort of, as much as is possible with unfinished wooden counters) and our spice rack organized; loves to sing and play guitar; dedicated, thoughtful, and considerate

Dan – IS Santa Claus, according to each and every Finca child; recently shaved off the beard which has made him the recipient of Honduran grief since August; keeps us laughing, belly-ache style, with tales from home; positive, hilarious, and encouraging

Jennie Maria – provider of fresh veggies and good coffee to all Ceiba visitors; gracefully acts as house-mom to teenage boys; fundraising and donation-managing guru; embodies hospitality; incredibly generous, intentional, and dedicated

Sayda – our lone Honduran community member who shows amazing patience with gringo Spanish; learning to balance her role as Ceiba girls’ house caretaker with university life as she begins classes this month; provider of ice cream and delicious beans to all who stay in her apartment; kind, welcoming, and a wonderful role model to our Finca kids

Beautiful, bizarre, and totally unique, each of them. How blessed I am to be their sister.

In just over a week our community will take a bit of a twist as we welcome into the grace-filled chaos of life at the farm not only a doctor from the United States, who will be joining us for a few months (welcome, Dr. Jeannie!), but also two new long-term volunteers!! With the arrival of Georleny and Scarleth, two Nicaraguan psychologists that have taken the leap to join our crew, we become a more fully bilingual bunch and a truly international volunteer community. Please pray for us as we prepare to welcome them in, and for them as they prepare to leave their homes behind and enter deeply into all that is life at the Farm. It is a difficult call, but we trust that God is with us, leading and guiding us and working within, around, and even through us to give us the grace to carry on, to love each other and our kids well. We miss and love you dearly. Please continue to hold us in your thoughts and prayers, as we hold you in ours, knowing and trusting that they are lifted up over oceans and meet, dancing together, in God, who holds us all together in Love.

with lots of love
from our humble home to yours,

Erin Ramsey
erin.ramsey.1@gmail.com

Andrea McMerty-Brummer
Director, Farm of the Child-USA

tel: 727-475-4459 (USA); 442-2512 (Honduras)
email: farmofthechild@gmail.com
website: www.farmofthechild.org

"Whoever welcomes a child such as this for my sake welcomes me, And whoever welcomes me, welcomes not me, but Him who sent me." Mark 9:37