My dear friend Erika

August 13th, we celebrated my dear friend Erika's 28th birthday. I had a little disaster with the coconut cake I made for her--it stuck to the pan, and I had to cut it in little pieces and make a very non-ordinary, creative cake! Ha--I didn't tell her, and she never knew it was an accident. (-; Erika made a delicious lunch of fried chicken, rice and beans, boiled banana, potato salad, and, of course, coke!
Erika came into our lives when she was 19 and has been a big part of our family ever since. She started out working for my mom around the house and soon became one of Kara's and my best friends. Years later she became Kara's sister-in-law! She has been a faithful friend during ups and downs, joy and sadness.
Kara and I had many wonderful Honduran experiences through Erika.I, and I know Kara as well, cherish the memories of time spent with her. Some memories I have of things we've done with her are: getting up at four in the morning to learn how to milk a cow with her, going on the village soccer excursions or just the Lucinda soccer games with her, sitting in the river with her while she washed her clothes, cooking with her, taking the chicken bus with her, spending the night at her house or eating her amazing food, going to the village church with her and bible studies with her, cleaning with her, getting mangoes and other fruits down from trees with her, hiking up the mountain with her to get cellphone service, taking trips to visit her grandparents and extended family with her and her family, biking places with her, spending long hours laying on the bed with her just talking and talking our heads off, going swimming with her, seeing her get married and having two kids, laughing with her, crying with her, and the list goes on and on and on and on...
I thank God for her life and all that we have learned from her and shared with her. Her life is a testimony to God's transforming power and grace, and she has most definitely touched our lives in many ways...