I cannot believe that I only have two more days left in Honduras! I have truly fallen in love with this country over the last 27 days. I had the amazing opportunity to live in Valles De Angeles, which translates to, Valley of Angels. We are 1000 ft above sea level in a picturesque mountain landscape. The sweet town is small, and straight out of a classic Disney movie. Cobblestone roads, street vendors, and mariachi bands that will come right up to your table at a coffee shop. I was very nervous to come to this country, as the news headlines paint a horrible picture. There is a lot of poverty and a troubled economy in others parts of the nation. We didn’t see too much of the poverty, but we did get to see the heart of this country. Love. Family. Faith.
This month my squad served at an orphanage for mentally and physically challenged adults. There are six homes on the property that 11-15 people live in. In addition, there are two Tia’s that care for each house. Tia is spanish for aunt, but most of the adults who can speak, call them Mommy. These women are truly sent from the Lord. I have never met more selfless people in my life. They cook, bathe, change diapers, wash clothes by hand, and clean, on top of all the individual care needs. They get 4 days off a month, and most spend two of them traveling to their families dispersed throughout the country. Please keep these incredibly strong and giving women in your prayers.
My team of five was assigned to one house. We spent 5 hours each day with the residents in the house. Every day was unique. There were several dance parties, walks, playing with balls and puzzles, Disney Channel, and arts and crafts. My heart has grown so much for these sweet people. None of them speak english, and some didn’t speak at all. But luckily, we still had our universal language; love. So much love.
There were hard days. Days where it was difficult to understand why the God I worshipped would allow this to happen to His children. But just becasue it was harder to sometimes find His presence in the room, didn’t mean that it wasn’t there. God created these children perfect in His image. Perfect. They might not have the same abilities to preach the gospel, but they sure know how to love like Jesus did. Love without limits. They are some of the happiest and most grateful people I’ve ever met. They didn’t have a lot, but they had all they needed, love from the Lord.
My squad is traveling to El Salvador on Thursday at 2:30am. We will have a short three day mini debrief before breaking off to our various team ministries. I’m not sure what mine is, because I’m trying to stay present and not let my brain switch gears until I leave a country, so stay tuned! Two down, nine to go! As always thank you for your love and support through prayers and kind words. I truly could not do this without my incredible community back in the US. xo
