Melody and Jacob (Mom and Dad) have the big job of raising 39 future leaders of Honduras. They want so much more for their kids than for them just to make it into adulthood. They work with their team of Tias (thats Aunt in Spanish and the affectionate name the kids have for their nanny's) to strike the delicate balance of preserving the positive things about Honduran culture, while challenging their kids to be more than the norm, but to run hard after God and walk in obediance to Him. In a culture where boys will be boys (but never truely men), and girls will be moms (by 13), they fight against the influences around them to cause their boys to learn responsability and their girls to learn self-respect.
its 6am. the babies are up and the diaper changing brigade begins. By 7, all the older kids are off to school, everyone is fed, and volume is at full tilt. Our team does morning worship and devotions accompanied by any older kids who did not have school that day (not many). We spend the morning with the toddlers and babies in a siwrl of songs, games, and huggs. Everybody heads to lunch around 11:30. By 1:00, the toddlers and babies are in for their nap till 3. Around 1:30 most of the older kids are back from school. Then starts "tarea" (homework). The kids here are split up between mutiple schools based on their needs. Few of them are in the 'proper' grade level. This is a trend throughout the country. It is common to have a 26 year old in High School because culturally, school is not valued. But at Miqueas, Walker, their live-in tutor, makes sure each kid gets the push they need to succeed in school. We got to help with tutoring and motivating. After dinner we would play a game of soccer to tire everyone out before bed. Around 6:00 starts 'Toddler TIme'. Basically, as the toddlers are bathed and dressed for bed, the tias dont want them to run around and get dirty while they are bathing all the other kids. The solution is that after a child is ready for bed, they are brought into one of the bedrooms where we got to play, sing songs (they LOVE Michelle Kwaks guitar skills), and rough house (dont tell Melody :0) till 7:00 bed time.
Some of the toddlers favortie songs are Jesus Loves Me, Yes Lord (Si Senor), Peanut Butter Jelly Time, You Are My Joy (David Crowder), B-I-N-G-O, and Father Abraham. SOOO MUCH FUN!!!
All day, I got to love on, kiss, hold, hug, tickly, and be climbed on by the most precious, beautiful children ever!! Pure Bliss!
