Simple Disclaimer: the website we use to upload photos is not working with me today, so I don't have pictures to show you for this blog post today. I will go back and upload photos to this blog once the website tool starts working again.
During our first full week in Honduras, my team and I had the pleasure of riding around town with Tony to run errands and to get to see where some of the street kids come from. The biggest highlight of my day was going to Los Pinos, which is one of the most dangerous areas in Tegucigalpa. Tony took us to the worst part of Los Pinos, Sector F.
As we were driving down the worn out dirt road, Tony told us how it took him almost a year of constantly driving his car here before his was able to sit down and converse with the kids here. Now the residents of Los Pinos all know him and what his car looks like. But despite this, he said that it is not safe for women to come to Sector F without a male. He won't even let his wife come here without him! (So take note, ladies – don't go visiting Sector F in Los Pinos alone.)
So we drove to the top of the hill in Sector F, parked the car and got out. We were near an abandoned high school; all that was left was the concrete structure. Tony said the government pulled the high school out of Sector F because the area is too dangerous. That made me feel real safe…
Within a few minutes of us being there, 3 kids came over to hang out with us. There were 2 boys and a little girl. One of the boys had a test the next day in English, so Pamela helped quiz him on some of his vocabulary words.
Devin and Gabe played around with the other boy and the little girl.
I was kind of upset that the kids didn't want to play with me and that they preferred Devin and Gabe over me. But as I began asking Tony questions about the typical home life of these kids in Los Pinos, he revealed a startling fact to me: 85% of the birth certificates in all of Honduras are WITHOUT a father's name on them. No wonder these kids love playing with Devin and Gabe so much! They don't have male role models in their lives, and they never get to play with guys because they aren't around.
This made me realize how blessed I am and how much I appreciate my upbringing as a child. I had (and still have) a loving mother and father. My mother was able to stay at home and raise us kids while my dad was at work. And they were both there at the end of the day to tell us they loved us and tuck us in at night. I cannot imagine what life must be like to grow up without a father figure being present. The thought of it makes my heart break for these kids.
If you are thinking about going on the World Race and are worried about whether or not you can make a difference or an impact, the answer is an overwhelming YES! In each country I've been to so far, there are kids who are growing up without the love and affirmation they so desperately want and need from parents.
You have no idea how simple and profound it is to show them love. That afternoon we spent in Los Pinos, Devin and Gabe chased the kids around and played hide and seek for a while. They also played soccer in an abandoned school room with them. Pamela helped a kid study for his upcoming exam. I spent a dollar and bought a watermelon to share it with them. All we did was show up and let God work through us.
