Honduras Holli (Caitlin Holli, That Is!)

Those near and dear to us refer to many of the stories told about Caitlin as, "Caitlin-isms". Caitlin is the "original" Elle Woods from "Legally Blond". When she was in junior high school, Caitlin came home one day with three small photographs. The photos were of Hispanic girls, and showing me these photos, she very excitedly announced that they were "giving out" foreign exchange students from Guacamole (yes, she thought the name of the country was Guacamole instead of Guatemala) and she wanted one. She went on to talk about them as though the process of choosing one of these students was as simple as selecting a puppy from a litter. Her reasoning for getting one of these students had nothing to do with broadening her cultural awareness, but instead everything to do with fashion. Yes, you heard me correctly! She was interested in choosing a girl who was "cute and about her size" so that they could wear each others' clothes. Well, her father told her in no uncertain terms that we were NOT getting a foreign exchange student; that she was "foreign" enough for us and we didn't need any more drama in our lives.





Although she was denied being able to have that foreign exchange student, she has always remained fascinated with people of other cultures. In fact, she insists that one day, she will adopt a Chinese girl. Recently, she set her mind on traveling to Honduras with our church on a mission trip that would allow her to work with children who live in an orphanage there. Thinking that the trip had already been filled for this year, she was determined to go next year. THEN, on the 4th of July weekend, we got a telephone call. Someone had to cancel out on the trip and that left a vacancy. They asked if Caitlin would still like to go. We were right in the middle of wedding preparations, but were able to get all of her papers and required documents in order to go. So now, the week after all of the wedding hubbub, the packing, preparations and precautions (from me) have begun.





A few years ago, Robby and I actually went as sponsors along with Caitlin and our church youth group to Alabama to a mission camp. Although these trips are very worthy and rewarding, this is just not my "gift". And so, my precautions to Caitlin for traveling to Honduras go something like this...





1. Wash your hands...you might get germs.


2. Don't drink the water...you might get a parasite.


3. Use hand sanitizer; water might be contaminated (refer to #1 and disregard)


4. Be careful what you eat...possible parasite and/or food poisoning (just had this recently, so it


is ever on my mind)


5. Don't open your mouth while showering...possible contaminated water; remember what


happened to Charlotte in "Sex in the City" movie.


6. Wash your feet frequently and shower with flip-flops on...you could get some sort of worms;


just saw a show on different types of worms on the Dr. Oz Show.


7. Braid your hair every day and don't wash it too frequently...lice; you know, they like clean


hair.





OH...and while you're at it, HAVE FUN!





OK...so, you get it, huh? My "germ-a-phobia" has kicked in BIG TIME and I am not even the one going!





So, as I send my baby off to another part of the world, packed with Teddy Grahams, Goldfish and Rice Krispie Treats (you never can be too careful about the food there), I truly wish her and everyone involved with the trip the BEST. Going out to do mission work is a "gift" and I will support them with my love and prayers. WAIT A MINUTE...There's a map on the back of the group shirt they are wearing. It shows that Honduras is close to Nicaragua. Don't they have guerrillas there? And I'm not talking about the hairy animal kind!