10/11/10
Today, the plan was to head to Los Pinos to pray over the
abandoned school building. There was no way all 17 of us could fit in Tony’s
car so the 4 guys, 4 of us girls, and 3 of the guys Tony disciples decided to
take public transportation into town. First, we went to the school in El Horno
to introduce ourselves and teach some introductory English and then we began
walking up the dirt road on what would have been an incredibly long hike out to
the road where we would catch the first bus. While we were walking, a pick-up
truck happened to drive by and stopped to pick up all 11 of us and drove us
about 2 miles to the main road. Praise Jesus!! So yes, momma, I hitch-hiked in
Honduras J
We hung out at the bus stop for about 15 minutes before it came to pick us up.
When we got on, the bus was completely packed so we had to stand in the aisle.
The boys offered to hold our stuff-I love how they’re so protective of us! We
rode it to the Plaza where we caught the next bus that would take us to Los
Pinos. It was a long ride, but so fun to be able to see a lot of the city.
[Allan, Luis, and Phil hitch-hiking in the pick-up truck]
When we got there, we walked up the hill to Luis’ house
where he lives with his abuela. They have an incredible view of the entire
city. Then, we went down to Cristo’s house and as soon as we walked in, Luis
began sweeping the floor. It broke my heart to see their living conditions.
Cristo, Josue, Carlos, and Fernando live in this tiny shack by themselves, and
their mom lives in the local dump with 4 other men. Once the rest of the team
arrived, we ate the lunch they brought before heading down to the abandoned
school to pray.
The building is situated up on a hill in the middle of Los
Pinos-a perfect location to start some kind of community outreach center. We
walked up to it and found graffiti left there by various gangs. Tony told us a
young boy had been stoned to death there just a few months ago by a local gang
because he liked a certain soccer team. There was definitely a negative
presence in that building and the community in general, but we went in and
prayed over it, declaring that the Lord is waging war in Los Pinos and the
battle has already been won. We are reclaiming that place for the Lord and it’s
so humbling to be a part of it!
[praying in the old abandoned school building]
After praying over the building, we headed to the “cancha,”
a cement court where they play futbol (soccer). We got a nice game going, and
more kids from the community came over to join in as well as adults who came to
watch. That was Day 1 of ministry in Los Pinos and we could already see how the
community is ready for a change-they just don’t know quite where to start or
how to do it. The game ended and we began the trek back down the hill to find
the bus stop that would take us back to El Horno.
The boys came with us to protect us-this is something Tony
has been hoping and praying for a long time. When the stray dogs came over and
started barking at me, Cristo pulled me closer to him and said, “Cuidado,” or,
“Be careful.” Whenever cars would fly by the boys were sure to stay on the
outside closer to passing traffic. They wanted to carry our purses so they
would be safe. Henry showed me where he works and Cristo told me he really
wants a bike. We talked about Spain’s soccer team. Man, I just love spending
time with these boys. They are absolutely incredible and Tony has truly done a
wonder to get them away from doing paint thinner and living on the streets. I
could honestly stay here for the whole 11 months-we have known these boys for
only a few days and I already love them so much and can’t even begin to imagine
leaving them.
[Los Pinos]
