Break my heart for what breaks yours. Help me to see those who feel unseen, love those who feel unloved, and care for those who are forgotten. Give me the wisdom to discern when it is appropriate to pray and when it is the time to be an answer to prayer. Give me Your heart for Your people, Lord.
Under the light of a thousand stars, I prayed this prayer on one of our very first nights here in Honduras. It is probably one of the most dangerous but oh-so-rewarding prayers I have ever prayed.
I have fallen so deeply in love with Honduras. Words can not come even remotely close to adequately describing how whole-heartedly, head-over-heels in love I am with this place I now call home. Mist forms over the tips of the mountains that surround us in every direction. A five minute walk down the dusty road leads to the cobblestone streets of Valle de Angeles, just past a dozen red pulperias, countless dogs barking threateningly, horses tied to light posts, and cows grazing lazily. On weekends the town comes to life as the street is lined with tables of venders. We are no longer strangers as we aimlessly drift throughout town, stopping to get pupusas or coffee at our favorite food places and searching for warm clothes in the second hand shops — we know store owners and coffee shop baristas by name.
Up the mountain, in the opposite direction from our house, we are a 15 minute walk from Hogar Los Angeles, or Home of the Angels: the special needs orphanage where we spend hours on end for ministry throughout the week. While the first month was spent primarily rolling pieces of cloth for the residents to make and sell products as a way of supporting the orphanage (see The not-so-glorious side to ministry to hear more about how and why), we now interact with the residents daily on a more personal level. I am beginning to know and love them as the unique individuals God has created them to be and loves them for. As Christmas quickly approaches, we have begun to form a choir of sorts. We sing 3 Christmas songs in Spanish on repeat for a few hours and then our rehearsals usually turn into a huge dance party. Then, we go home to home and sing Christmas carols to those who don’t leave the house as frequently.
We know the residents by name. We know that Juan Carlos is obsessed with Coca-Cola. And Jesus is facinated by what the United States is like. Rosa’s favorite color is pink and Patricio has a T-shirt collection. Ada tells me that she prays for me every day (because of my diabetes lol) and Gisselle hugs me really tight every time she looks at my insulin pump. I feel so loved by each and every one of them and pray that they all feel just as loved in return.
Thank you Jesus for the opportunity to love the way YOU love and see people the way YOU see them. The thought of leaving in just 3 short weeks shatters my heart to pieces but I couldn’t have asked for a better home-away-from-home to celebrate my first holiday season away from home.
Jesus 
Juan Carlos
Gisselle
