...it means "I love you" in Spanish and we say it at the end of every prayer in Honduras. It's a simple reminder to the rescued boys and girls that they are loved and cared for despite the circumstances that brought them to the ministry. For the second year, I had the privilege of serving with
Forgotten Children Ministries on a team at Noah's Ark Shelter in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
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| I met this little girl at the government orphanage, INHFA. She was adorable! |
This trip proved to be just as life-changing as the
first. While the novelty of the trip was definitely not the pervading emotion this time, there is still something completely breath-taking about getting off an airplane in the midst of one of the poorest, but most stunningly beautiful countries in the world. The juxtaposition of beauty and poverty is almost indescribable. Everywhere you look there are shanties and shacks surrounded by impressive mountains, precious children scouring garbage dumps for their next meal. I don't think I will ever get used to it...I would be scared if I did, as it's a stark illustration of the Gospel in its purest form.
Just like last year, we spent time doing food ministry in the villages surrounding Tegucigalpa. It's so counter-culture to us, but we literally jumped off the bus in these villages and would just walk up to people's "houses" and ask if we could come in and visit with them. We've never been turned down and their honesty in sharing needs and prayer requests is often shocking...definitely the antithesis of the American attitude of "I've got it all together--I'm fine." They were always so appreciative of the bags of beans and rice and usually would us in the direction of another family member or neighbor in need that we could minister to and visit as well.
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| This sweet baby was 18 days old. |
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| This was a family whose home we visited during food ministry one day. |
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| I met these girls during food ministry last year. It was great to see them again and take them some gifts like tshirts and coloring books. |
In the afternoons, we had our huge soccer tournament and VBS with the FCM boys and girls. It's always so much fun to hang out with them on their turf, playing their game. Our relationships with the kids continue to grow year after year and I get really excited to see the same kids every day. They love to talk to you (if you can call it that with the little bit of Spanish we speak and few translators to go around) and just have fun playing.
I was super excited to see Dany, the boy I sponsor. I took him several prizes including a cowboy hat that he'd been asking for. Try packing that in your luggage! He has grown a lot since the last time I was there and is doing well in school. I could really tell that he was beginning to come out of his shell and make friends with lots of the other boys in the ministry. It's funny though, because just like American 12 year old boys, he was a little to cool to hang out with me too much!
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| Dany and me when we arrived on Sunday |
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| The cowboy hat got a big thumbs up! |
For our "fun" day this year we took the FCM kids to the new shopping mall in Teguc to play at the indoor amusement park. They had rides like a Ferris wheel and this roller-coaster spinning deal, but considering I hate rides in America, I definitely sat out the Honduran rides. It was fun to watch though and the looks on the kids faces were priceless--for a lot of them this was a first!
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| Dany riding a motorcycle at the amusement park. |
As a side note, we did get to spend an extra night in the Teguc Marriott courtesy of Delta. We had a mechanical difficulty on Friday which necessitated a new plane from Atlanta on Saturday morning. The hotel was one of the nicer ones I'd ever stayed in (and that's saying a lot) but I just wish I hadn't been so exhausted so I could have enjoyed it. Alas we made it home safely only 24 hours behind schedule.
This trip is one of the highlights of my year and the ministry of FCM is near and dear to my heart. Please remember to pray for them as you think about it! Te amo!
