This last week in Honduras has been bigger than words can describe. God showed up in HUGE ways.
We arrived in San Pedro Sula Saturday afternoon, and then proceeded to go grab lunch at our favorite Honduran restaurant, Power Chicken. We then drove to Santa Elena where we would be based out of for the week. We ate dinner and just settled in for the night.
Sunday: We spent the morning touring Canchias, the village where Heart To Honduras was started. It was cool to see one of the houses that we started building last year finished, and to get to see that family again. We then went to an obstacle course owned by the CEI camp (the camp Heart to Honduras partners with), and spent the afternoon doing team-building activities. That night we went to a church in Santa Elena, where I was able to share part of what God is doing in my life in front of the whole congregation.
Monday: The first day at the job-sites in the neighboring village of El Bambu! We started building the frames of the house, and got to reconnect with some of the children that we met the year before. It was so incredible to see their beaming faces as they ran down the hill into our welcoming arms. That reunion is one I won't soon forget. Caida, a 2 year old, was now walking on her own. Cenya and Marisol had smiles bigger than I had ever seen. Pedro had to have grown atleast a foot. These kids are precious! After spending the morning loving on them, we went to a mission home in Las Naranjas, where we ran day camp for an extremely poor neighborhood where we had over 200 children at the camp. We were taken a back by the need of these children and families. It broke my heart to see mother's lying to our faces in an attempt to steal what we had for their kids. I was able to meet one sweet little girl, Azariah, who must have been about 5 or so. She was so precious and loved me despite my poor attempts at understanding her Spanish. The name "Azariah" is biblical and means "whom the Lord helps", and that gave me so much hope for her precious life!
Tuesday: The morning we made LOTS of progress on the houses in El Bambu! We also got to continue to play with the sweet village kids. That afternoon camp was held at the CEI camp for all the village children. The first girls I tried to talk to that afternoon were middle schoolers who laughed at me for a good 3 minutes at my not-so-great Spanish and then began to talk behind my back and point and sneer at me. I was honestly kinda hurt by their actions, but eventually one of the girls came up to me and began to talk to me. We taught each other our languages. She would point to something and tell me the Spanish name, and I would tell her the English name. It was so fun! She was 12 years old, and her name was Carla. I loved getting to laugh and play with her, and all too soon it was time for her to head back home. I was excited to see her again on Thursday!
Wednesday: The same typical morning routine at the houses, except for that we FINISHED both houses in El Bambu! We then went to camp in Las Naranjas, and it went MUCH better than on Monday. I got to hang out with a fire-cracker of a girl, Haiti, and ended up blowing bubbles for nearly 2 hours with a crowd of youngin's. They LOVED it, and I couldn't get enough of their joyous smiles as bubbles would pop in their faces. It was hard to say goodbyes to all these kids, as I knew that the fun they had at camp probably wouldn't be had again for a long while. Wednesday night we went to a lake/river/stream/dam/reservoir thing and all showered in the lake! It was much better than the ice-cold showers we were used to!
Thursday: We went hiking at Panacam National Park, and got to see some absolutely gorgeous views. We were able to go swimming in ponds with gentle waterfalls flowing into them, and hammock for a while! It was so beautiful to be there, but I also learned that I am not much of a hiker... I was tuckered out afterwards! We ran camp in Santa Elena that afternoon, and I hung out with Carla the entire time. She also had brought her baby cousin who was only a few months old who fell asleep in my arms for a while! So precious. That afternoon was also a real eye-opener to me. I saw a little boy, probably 8 or so, whose back of his head was bleeding. We found out that his mom had beat him a few days ago, and that was the result. In America, this cut would have needed several stitches and he would've been removed from his home, but that isn't possible in Honduras. It definitely shattered my heart, as the little boy didn't even think anything was wrong with the situation.
Friday: Friday morning we went to the El Bambu houses for a dedication. It was such a blessing to see the families and their new homes, but it was also so very hard to say goodbye to them and all the kids in the neighborhood. Tears were definitely shed as we got on the bus and drove away from El Bambu and all the kids that stole our hearts. Friday afternoon was spent doing touristy things. We went ziplining over a 150 foot waterfall, and then proceeded to hike under the waterfall, with thousands of gallons of water pounding your head every second. We definitely experienced God's beauty and power first hand! We then went to a market where we were able to shop, it was a fun time! That night we went out to eat and then stayed at a Bed and Breakfast.
Saturday came way too soon, and none of us were ready to leave the beautiful country that stole our hearts. We left though with hearts full and an even more passionate love for our Father, Savior, and Creator. He is so good.
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