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Giving Thanks

Honduran Thanksgiving gives an entirely new meaning to my traditional concept of Thanksgiving. I woke up not having any idea of what to expect, but the day quickly began to fall into place. I knew it would be a different kind of thanksgiving, I saw the community around me, the kids, the adults- the way of life is different. Yet the kids, both at the foundation and the community, have begun to work their way into our lives and hearts. When we woke up, I had the pleasure of working with Blanca, the lady who cooks as well as Jill and Audrey. We learned to make fresh corn tortillas, huevos con chorizo, refried beans and fried plantains over a wood-fired stove-- very contrary to typical American convenience but all around an awesome experience. After that, we began preparing a Thanksgiving meal for the whole community. Not knowing how many people or how many baptisms, we guessed as best we could to cook and prepare for all who would come. The day was exciting, frenzied at times, and overall an incredible day to be a part of. With a couple of setbacks, a small fire in the field, power going out and needing to cook things over a burning fire, God proved himself faithful through those circumstances. We sprinted to 2 o'clock, when finally the much expected baptisms began. The church quickly filled, overflowed and spilled out into the yard- we have counted anywhere between 70 and 75 baptisms in one day. Possibly the most exciting part for me was the variability of ages of those who were baptized; two of my "god-daughters" are actually mothers themselves and the other two are children. It was exciting to watch as John explained the Gospel with an egg and a chick, explaining our fallen condition as an egg which was cracked and describing new life as being like a chick. The faces in the Congregation lit up with delight, their smiles and laughter filled the room. As the baptisms began, I couldn't help but think of how beautiful the display of people was. So often, our culture tells us that we need to do better, to "clean up" before approaching the Lord, yet here in Honduras, everyone presented themselves as they are. These individuals came to offer the little that they have-- themselves. What a beautiful act of worship, simply to fall at the feet of the Lord and to be washed in the water of salvation and receive what the Lord has to offer. I was so humbled by this glorious display. We continued and served the community a thanksgiving meal, it came together with the work of many hands, and took everyone to serve efficiently. Our team, as a whole, worked incredibly. Finishing the day, what I noticed the most and has been a huge part of the week for is the way that love acts as the currency of communication. Despite language barriers and cultural differences, love expressed through hugs, kisses and smiles is the constant in this culture. Often, I can do nothing but smile and give hugs yet through that children and adults know and feel loved. I, in return, have been so overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from this community. One little girl, Sady sticks out in my mind-- after washing her feet on Tuesday, she remembered me. She came back to be baptized, wearing the same dress, appearing not to have showered and being dirty- covered in dust. As I watched the baptisms, she came and plopped in my lap to watch and after we left, for the meal, I felt two little arms gently wrap around me. Anytime we were in a crowd, she came and found me, holding tightly with hugs desiring attention. I knew nothing to say other than "Te quiero mucho" with a smile and a hug. Moments like these remind me of the way that we are called to love and in turn, in the same way that this little girl pursued me and held tightly, I was reminded of the Father's pursuing and enveloping love for us. After this Thanksgiving, I have learned gratitude in a new way, a way that expects nothing in return but the gift of love and life.

love,  Mary Ivon  

The One in Which Drew Surfs Down a Mountain

Hola de Honduras!

Today was another exciting day at the Foundation. We woke up this morning all set to give out some more shoes and were blessed to be able to give them out to members of the La Paz community. Some of the cutest kids we've seen yet were here today. This afternoon we separated into groups; some of us played with the children and made various crafty things with the art kits that Jeremy brought down for them. Others worked on projects around the foundation, including replacing a faucet in the kitchen, laying more sidewalk, and building a new fence complete with a decorative gate

Later, the majority of the group went up into the mountains to the Foundation's banana plantation and came back with lots of fruit for ourselves and the children. Those who stayed behind gave out some more shoes and learned a little bit more about Jesus from the kids. We're settling down now after a long, satisfying day and eagerly looking forward to another tomorrow.

An early happy Thanksgiving to everybody back home and God bless!

Tio Johnnie

More shoes to give, live!

For those of you who are keeping up here, we're giving more shoes away today, and are live streaming! Come see us here :)  http://ustre.am/2gWQ

Day Three: Tuesday Night

Today we got to see all the hard work from yesterdays shoe organizing finally pay off. We started out after a most delicious breakfast giving shoes to the niños here at the foundation before they headed of to school for a day of exams. It was an energizing start to a work filled day. After the niños from the foundation we washed the feet and handed out shoes to a handpicked group of less fortunate children from the surrounding community, some of which walked three miles in their decrepit shoes to the foundation. The appreciation from the kids as well as from the guardians was remarkable and heartwarming. After a brief siesta by Tio Rojo we walked the older children to school for yet more exams. While we're pretty sure they were trying to get us lost by circumnavigating us around the city to delay the goodbyes, we did manage to find our way back to the foundation(over a a "structurally sound" bridge). The most strenuous part of the afternoon consisted of continuing work on the sidewalk from the foundation to the store. The method, while primitive, was effective. The boys spent nearly two hours and only progressed six feet, but it was progress none-the-less. Processes here at the foundation are not as convenient but they have given us a new appreciation for the resources available to us back in the states. We're preparing our hearts tonight for another rewarding day of Operation Barefoot.
                           Thank you for all of your love and support. In Christ, Tio Drew y Tia Sara.

Giving out shoes!

Shoes shoes shoes!

This is a photo sphere i took after giving out shoes, in it's expanded version. To view the movable sphere, click here. It was incredible.

https://plus.google.com/105727772731343924466/posts/DhjZbNrx4LJ

Conversation with Cesar

Interview with Cesar, a 15-year-old Honduran who sat next to me on a 3-hour bus ride

 

Cesar, tell me a little about your family?

I have one sister who is married.  I actually live with this sister and her husband, who have taken care of me for the last few years, because my real father and mother were unable to do so.  

 

Do you attend school?

Yes, I’m attending the La Paz Colegio which you would call a High School in the United States.

 

What are your plans for the future?

Well, I am 15-years-old and I have two more years of high school left.  After that, I would like to attend the University in their engineering program, which is a 5-year- program, costing $200 per year. 

 

How much would an Engineer make upon graduation from the University?

The starting salary for an engineer is about $10 per day.   That is not enough to make a living, but most Hondurans know you have to have two or three jobs to make ends meet.  It is a lot better than most jobs in Honduras which pay about $2 per day.

 

Aren’t there some other occupations where you could make a better salary to be able to support yourself?

Well, I could be a teacher.  Teachers are paid about $20 per day, and is a secure position because your salary is paid by the Federal government.  But out of that $20 per day, the teacher is also required to supply all the books and materials and everything needed by their class.  Books are very expensive.  And if you don’t buy the students enough supplies and books, the parents complain that you are keeping all your money to yourself. 

 

Do you attend church?

Yes, our family goes to the Catholic Church in La Paz.  Not real regularly, but we are members.

 

What is church like?

Well, it depends.  If you go on Saturday night, which is when most people go, the church service is about two hours long.  The first hour is a lot of chanting and singing by the Pastor, some singing by the congregation, and a message by the Pastor.  The second hour is a service of Communion.  If we go on Sunday morning, the service is three hours long from 10 am to 1 pm with the first hour being singing, the second hour being preaching, and the third hour being a service of communion for Adults while the children have classes.

 

According to your understanding, what is the Christian faith?  It is following Jesus and loving and helping other people like He did.  (Pastor:  You'll see that Cesar somewhat corrects himself on the next question.)

 

So, can you be certain you will go to heaven when you die, if you get to heaven by helping people?  Well, I don’t get to heaven by helping people.   I know I'll go to heaven because I believe in Jesus as my Savior.

 

Do you understand the messages given by the Pastor in church on Sunday?  Sometimes his sermons are good when they talk about how our Christian faith can help us when we are in trouble.  But there are other times I have trouble paying attention and following what he is saying.

 

Have you been baptized?  Yes, I have been baptized.  

 

Have you had the opportunity to give a profession of your faith in Confirmation?  I have never been confirmed because it costs $50.  Our family has not been able to afford that.  It also costs $50 to be baptized.  Because we don’t have the money for that, my sister’s one-year-old has not yet been baptized either.  Because we don’t have the $50 that is required.  (At this point I shared with Cesar that we were having a service of baptism on Thursday at the orphanage, and that I would be more than happy to talk with his sister and her husband about having their baby baptized if they were interested.  Cesar shared that they would most likely be very interested.)

 

What is daily life like for you? 

On Monday through Friday, I have school from 1 pm to 6 pm.  In the morning I try to help out in our garden at home, and we also have some chickens.  I go out and find wood for my Mom (my sister actually) to bake tortillas.  Sometimes I can make a little money helping out my brother-in-law who is a bus driver.  I will go along with him on trips and he will pay me a little money to help with the passengers.  At other times, we try to find people for whom we can trade food from our garden.  Children of Love is a good place to be around.  The people are good and kind, and they’ll always try to help you if you need it.  And the children here are always singing and praying and learning God’s Word.  I’ve probably learned as much about God at Children of Love as I have through my church, even though I don’t live there .  I play soccer and ride bikes with my friends.  But often, I try to help the family find enough wood and vegetables for our meal that day.

 

What do you think like might look like for you 10 years from now?

I would like to say that I can tell.  But life is very hard and unpredictable in Honduras.  We have better government, so that gives us some hope.  I hope my sister and her husband can help me go to college and they want me to go, but it is very expensive.  It is difficult to make a living and to have enough money.  I’m hoping I can still live with my sister and brother-in-law for a few more years, because I can’t see myself having enough money to move out on my own until I am much older.  Right now, I just try to get through the next day and week and hope that I can keep going to school.  And I thank God for what I do have, which is a lot more than many people and many children.

 

Thanks, Cesar.  Is there anything else you would want Americans to know about Honduras? 

Just that we are thankful for all the Americans who come here and help.  Some day, I hope Hondurans can help America, like you help us.

 

Day 3 - Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Our second morning here, we're almost used to waking up to the sounds of singing and roosters, and the smell of coffee and cookies. As we slowly wake up around the outdoor table (the centerpiece is the coffee container, obviously), we ache from our hard work in the gardens and laying concrete yesterday, and look forward to giving away shoes today. In our group prayer this morning, the children gratefully thanked the Lord for all the shoes He gave us to give to the community, and we are all very excited to give God's gifts to La Paz today. To our families and friends at home, thank you for all of your support, and we hope you'll watch us give away shoes via Ustream today.

Monday night!

We started off this morning with breakfast at eight o'clock and then proceeded to work on various projects around the foundation.  One of these was to unpack the eight boxes of shoes, clothes and toys that we received for the La Paz community.  We also helped with putting in a new sidewalk and installing new security cameras.  In the afternoon we took a trip to the grocery store and passed out invitations around the community to prepare for the Thanksgiving meal that Mama Doris is hosting for the community.

Jeremy Day One

First  We all got a great nights sleep after a long day of safe travelling. Thank all of you who prayed for us.  The first thing the entire group saw as we got off the three hour bus ride was all the children at the foundation greeting us with joyful songs of praise and a delicious Honduras home cooked meal. It was election day on Sunday, so as we entered the town on the bus we saw all the local people lining  the streets waiting to see who will be the next President, which gave all of the group a great look at all the people and their culture. It was night so we could see right into the local people's houses and help remind us that we are very blessed. After  dinner the children put on more songs and dancing for us in the Church which I could tell they worked on all day. Today we are all working very hard (Monday) on unloading the shoes, clothes ,school supplies, and all the stuff in 7 or 8 giant boxes that were sent here to the foundation. With much more help this year and a whole lot less shoes than last year, the  sorting is going very fast and we are blessed with much cooler  weather as well. I am just so thankful to be here serving the Lord and helping as many of His children and people as we can, and pray that Mamma Doris continues to get the help she needs for the years to come. Taking on the tasks of raising 20 plus children and helping out the rest of the town is a task not one of us could do without all the help back home from those of you who helped, so thank-you and keep praying that GOD blesses the Children Of Love Foundation.

Safe and Sound

The team has checked in at the foundation and all is well.  Check back for updates!

Atlanta team arrives in Honduras!

Hola!
Mary Ivon, Jill, Mallory and John have arrived in San Pedro Sula!

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the rest of the group, to head to La Paz. Kevin greeted us and helped us begin to load the bus.

We are getting excited to see los ninos!

Keep praying for this week to be special!

Heading to Honduras!

They are packed and ready to go.   Pay for them as they share the live of Jesus in word and deed this week.

On our way!

The Atlanta group left on time and the Orlando group only boarded fifty minutes late for Miami. Hope to be taking off in a minute. We Love you all, we'll post again when we got to the Foundation. Hasta luego!